As early voting is underway for Florida’s primary election, Fair Elections Center, its Campus Vote Project, and a coalition of voting rights and civic organizations today called on Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia to restore the early voting site at Miami-Dade College (MDC) North Campus ahead of the November 2026 general election. The site served more than 7,000 voters during the 2024 election, providing a critical polling location for students, faculty, staff, and surrounding North Dade communities.
“Cutting this site will make voting harder for students, school faculty and staff, and for the surrounding community,” the coalition wrote in the letter. “The MDC North location provides a centralized place for many county residents beyond the school’s student body to vote.”
The push to restore this early voting site comes at a time when Florida voters are facing increased challenges and changes to accessing the ballot, underscoring the need for accessible voting options that ensure all eligible voters can participate.
“This is even more urgent given changes to Florida’s vote-by-mail requirements, post office delays, and other barriers to mail voting that make early voting even more important, especially for Black voters. Importantly, Florida law now requires voters to re-enroll in vote-by-mail after each general election, adding an additional burden.”
The coalition further warned that removing this early voting site would create unnecessary barriers for marginalized voters across North Dade.
“Importantly, we are particularly concerned about the elimination of this site because of the large number of Black and Hispanic voters it serves: Thirty-nine percent of the over 7,000 voters who cast their ballot at this site in November 2024 identified as Black, while 53.8 percent identified as Hispanic. In fact, among Black voters, it ranked eighth out of 33 Miami-Dade early vote sites for the number of voters served. In contrast, the site on MDC Kendall’s campus, which we understand you plan to reinstate as an early voting site in November, served a voter population in 2024 that was only 3.2 percent Black.”
The coalition also pointed to the MDC North early voting site location as a critical resource for overcoming transportation and accessibility barriers that can make voting more difficult for many residents.
“A site at MDC North helps address significant barriers to voting, particularly for young voters in the community, who are some of the least likely to own a car,” the coalition wrote. “For residents of North Dade without a polling place that is accessible via public transportation, lacking a driver’s license or access to a car can turn voting into an extraordinarily time-consuming, burdensome task.”
The coalition urges Supervisor Garcia to restore the MDC North Campus early voting site ahead of the November 2026 election and work collaboratively with impacted communities to ensure Miami-Dade voters have access to trusted, accessible voting locations ahead of the midterm elections.
“Ensuring equitable access to early voting strengthens public confidence in our elections and demonstrates a shared commitment to fairness and civic participation.”
Read the letter and learn more here.