Florida voters head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 3, after 5,408,792 ballots were cast before Election Day by mail or at early-voting sites. That total is nearly 40% of the state’s active registered voters, according to figures from the Florida Division of Elections compiled by SignalData. The count includes ballots reported through Nov. 1; it does not include votes cast today.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Voters who are in line by 7 p.m. must be allowed to vote, according to the Florida Division of Elections. Election Day voters must go to their assigned precinct, not simply any early-voting location.
Heavy rain and flooding are also affecting parts of the region. Voters should check their polling place before leaving home and allow extra travel time where roads are wet or water-covered.
The early-vote tally, and what it counts
The statewide total consists of 3,467,309 in-person early votes and 1,941,483 returned mail ballots, according to the Division of Elections figures. The tally is a snapshot of ballots cast before Election Day, not a final turnout count or a prediction of results.
By registered party, the reported totals were 2,176,256 Republicans, 2,043,079 Democrats and 1,050,687 voters with no party affiliation. Other-party voters account for the remaining ballots. These figures describe voters’ registration, not how they marked their ballots. Statewide, Republicans led Democrats in the pre-Election Day count by about 133,000 ballots.
South Florida shows a different pattern. Democrats led Republicans in early voting in Miami-Dade and Broward, Axios Miami reported. Miami-Dade had roughly 544,000 ballots cast before Election Day, while Broward’s total was about 450,000, according to local reporting and county figures. The totals include mail ballots as well as in-person early votes.
The early-vote figures do not determine what happens today. Election Day ballots remain to be counted, and mail ballots received by the county supervisor of elections by 7 p.m. today can still count. Florida’s deadline is based on when the ballot is received, not its postmark. Voters with a ballot still to return should check their county supervisor’s instructions for accepted drop-off locations and hours.
The statewide races and Amendment 3
The top statewide contests include the governor’s race between Republican Byron Donalds and Democrat David Jolly, and the U.S. Senate contest between Republican Ashley Moody and Democrat Angie Nixon.
A New York Times/Siena poll conducted Oct. 19–25 showed Donalds at 48% and Jolly at 44%. The poll’s margin of sampling error was 3.9 percentage points, putting the four-point difference within the stated margin. It is a pre-election survey, not a result, forecast or count of votes already cast.
Voters are also deciding Amendment 3, a proposed constitutional change to property-tax rules. It would increase the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes to as much as $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, with inflation adjustments after that. It also proposes reducing the annual assessment-growth cap on non-homestead property from 10% to 5%. As a constitutional amendment, it needs at least 60% approval to pass. The state’s proposed-amendment booklet provides the official text.
Local questions vary by ballot. In the City of Miami, Referendum 1 asks voters to authorize up to $450 million in general-obligation bonds for public-safety facilities, including fire stations and a public-safety headquarters, according to the city’s election information. A separate city question concerns a proposed Virginia Key marina lease; local coverage identifies it as Referendum 3. Miami-Dade County voters also have six charter questions, while Miami Beach is holding a separate special election. Voters can review their individual ballot through their county elections office.
Rain, flooding and polling-place changes
The National Weather Service forecast scattered storms and a significant chance of rain for South Florida. That follows a wet Monday, when heavy rainfall left some areas with saturated ground and prompted flood and coastal-flood advisories. The National Weather Service Miami forecast discussion warned of further heavy rain and coastal flooding concerns. A Coastal Flood Advisory covered coastal Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach through 7 p.m.
Flooding has prompted polling-place relocations in parts of Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis’s Executive Order 26-227 declared an emergency in seven counties north of Palm Beach and allowed election officials there to seek alternate polling arrangements. Local reporting documented at least 17 relocated polling sites in five counties.
Miami-Dade has also reported 19 precinct changes, but those were related to construction or scheduling, not the weather, according to local coverage. No general polling closure in South Florida had been reported in the sources available for this article. Still, a relocation can affect an individual voter’s assigned precinct: check your address in the county’s official voter lookup before traveling. Miami-Dade voters can use the county’s voter information tool; other voters should consult their local supervisor of elections.
Florida’s election officials say voters must bring an accepted photo ID with a signature. If a voter’s name is not on the precinct register or eligibility is in question, ask a poll worker about the proper process before leaving.
What to expect tonight
County election offices are expected to begin posting returns after polls close. Early-vote and mail-ballot totals may appear before all Election Day precincts have reported, and mail-ballot processing can continue after the first results are released. The first numbers are not final results; totals can change as more precincts report and ballots are reviewed.
For South Florida voters, the immediate priorities are practical: confirm your assigned polling place, plan around rain and allow time to get there. The ballot includes statewide races and questions alongside local decisions that affect city services, county government and public property. The Everglades is not a ballot question in this election, but regional water and land stewardship remain ongoing concerns beyond Election Day, as South Florida Digest’s Everglades coverage explains.
The polls close at 7 p.m. If you are in line by then, stay in line and follow poll-worker instructions.
