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Letter Urging Restoration of Early Voting Site on Miami Dade College North Campus

What to Know: 

In May 2026, the Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections eliminated an early voting site on Miami Dade College’s North Campus. Without this centralized location, thousands of voters—a majority of whom are Black and Hispanic—could lose the opportunity to cast a ballot early. 

On August 12, 2026, Fair Elections Center sent a letter to the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections, the Honorable Alina Garcia, requesting that the early voting site be restored. You can read that letter below. 

Why is Early Voting Important?

Convenience

Many voters can’t make it to the polls on Election Day due to their work or class schedules, a lack of child care, or other conflicts. Voting early allows an individual to vote on their own schedule in a safe and secure way.

Reduces Long Lines

Allowing more opportunities for voters to cast their ballot during in-person early voting periods will make polling places less congested and give in-person voters the opportunity to cast their ballot quickly and easily.

Increases Voter Turnout

When voting is convenient and lines are short, more people will cast a ballot. Voting early helps democracy thrive!

Convenience

Many voters can’t make it to the polls on Election Day due to their work or class schedules, a lack of child care, or other conflicts. Voting early allows an individual to vote on their own schedule in a safe and secure way.

Reduces Long Lines

Allowing more opportunities for voters to cast their ballot during in-person early voting periods will make polling places less congested and give in-person voters the opportunity to cast their ballot quickly and easily.

Increases Voter Turnout

When voting is convenient and lines are short, more people will cast a ballot. Voting early helps democracy thrive!

Who Will Be Impacted the Most?

Black Voters

In 2024, 39.4% of all voters who utilized the MDC North early voting site were Black. Among Black voters, the site was ranked eighth out of 33 early voting sites in the county.

Hispanic Voters

53.8% of voters–over 3,800 people— who utilized the MDC North early voting site in 2024 were Hispanic.

MDC North Campus Students, Staff, and Community Members

MDC North serves thousands of students and employs hundreds of faculty and staff. Removing this early voting site makes voting early substantially less accessible for the students and staff. The MDC North location also provides a centralized place for many county residents beyond the school’s student body to vote.

People Without A Driver’s License

Because of the many public transit routes that lead to the campus, the site provides an accessible voting location for people without a driver’s license. 

Voters With Disabilities

On-campus voting sites can also often provide crucial infrastructure to accommodate voters with disabilities, such as ample parking and modern ADA-compliant facilities. This reality can make on-campus locations particularly important to voters with disabilities

What We’ve Done:

Letter to the Miami-Dade Board of Elections

August 12, 2026

Voting Rights Coalition Urges Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections to Restore Early Voting Site

Press Release | August 12, 2026

More Like This

Increasing access to pre-Election Day voting opportunities like early in-person voting is a top priority of the Fair Elections Center’s Voting Rights Project. Read more about our policy priorities here.

On-Campus Early Voting Plans in North Carolina

In late 2025, the Guilford and Jackson County Boards of Elections approved non-unanimous early voting plans that do not include early voting sites on three university campuses. Both Board of Elections cited low turnout to these early voting locations as the reason for their removal. The county’s monetary resources, they said, were better spent at early voting sites that saw more traffic. 

Virginia Campus Voting Sites

VA HB 941 would require registrars to establish satellite offices on public four-year campuses with enrollment of more than 3,000 students, which would have the effect of creating early voting (absentee-in-person) sites at each of those campuses.

Last updated: August 12, 2026