{"id":193791,"date":"2026-03-16T18:07:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T18:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/193791\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T18:07:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T18:07:07","slug":"coral-gables-2026-special-election-what-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/193791\/","title":{"rendered":"Coral Gables 2026 special election: What to know"},"content":{"rendered":"

Coral Gables voters will soon weigh in on a variety of referendums during a special vote-by-mail election this spring.<\/p>\n

Should elections be held in November instead of April? Do city commissioners need voter approval to give themselves pay raises? And should the city pay the county or a private entity for an inspector general to conduct investigations?<\/p>\n

Those are just some of the questions voters will see on an April ballot.<\/p>\n

And this special election will be different. This time around, voters can only cast their vote by mail. There is no early voting, and there will be no physical polling places. Only one drop-off site for the mail-in ballots \u2014 at the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections office in Doral \u2014 will be available.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s your election guide:<\/p>\n

Key dates for Coral Gables\u2019 2026 electionBallots will be mailed to voters by March 21Voter registration deadline (if you\u2019ve never voted before in Miami-Dade County): March 23Address change deadline: March 23Ballot submission deadline: 7 p.m. on April 21, Election DayHow to get your Gables vote-by-mail ballot<\/p>\n

The city said registered voters in Miami-Dade who live in the Gables will automatically have their ballots mailed to them.<\/p>\n

Voters should double-check that the address listed on their voter registration is current, and update it if needed, ahead of the March 23 voter registration deadline. Under Florida law, vote-by-mail ballots can only be delivered to the address on a voter\u2019s registration and cannot be forwarded elsewhere, according to Miami-Dade County\u2019s Office of the Supervisor of Elections.<\/p>\n

The easiest way to check that all of your information is up-to-date, including your address, is online on Miami-Dade County\u2019s Supervisor of Elections website.<\/a> This is also where you can review your sample ballot. You can also visit the department\u2019s Doral office or call 305-499-8444 to confirm your address. If you recently moved, you\u2019ll also have an opportunity to update your voter registration while updating your Florida driver\u2019s license or identification ID, according to the Elections Department.<\/p>\n

All registered Gables voters are voting by mail this election. But it doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re registered to vote by mail in future elections. Those who want to register to vote by mail in other elections can do so through the county\u2019s Supervisor of Elections website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"A A Coral Gables resident speaks during a town hall in the city\u2019s public safety building on Monday, March 9, 2026. Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, who hosted the town hall, was joined by Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis and Coral Gables City Attorney Cristina Suarez to discuss ballot questions that will appear in the upcoming vote-by-mail election. Michelle Marchante mmarchante@miamiherald.com How to submit your ballot<\/p>\n

The easiest way to submit your ballot is by mail, though you can also drop it off at the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections Office, 2700 NW 87th Ave. in Doral, before 7 p.m. on Election Day, April 21. Postmarks do not count.<\/p>\n

Make sure to sign the voter certificate envelope and include your residential address before mailing or dropping off the ballot. Postage is not required.<\/p>\n

What if you need a replacement ballot?<\/p>\n

Did you lose your ballot or make a mistake and need a new one? You can go to the Elections Office in Doral to ask, in writing, for a replacement ballot anytime before 7 p.m. on Election Day, April 21, according to the department. However, if you want the ballot mailed to you, the deadline for that is 5 p.m. on April 9.<\/p>\n

Why is there a special vote-by-mail election in April?<\/p>\n

The city is hosting a special vote-by-mail election to ask for voter input on a series of mostly contested topics that have divided commissioners, including whether future city elections should be moved from April in odd-numbered years to November of even-numbered years to coincide with state and national elections.<\/p>\n

Miami-Dade\u2019s Supervisor of Elections Office told the Herald that mail ballot elections are usually less expensive to hold compared to traditional elections and are available only when there are no candidates on the ballot.<\/p>\n

\"(From (From left to right) Coral Gables Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis and Coral Gables City Attorney Cristina Suarez speak during a town hall on Monday, March 9, 2026, in the city\u2019s public safety building about the ballot questions in the upcoming city vote-by-mail election. Michelle Marchante mmarchante@miamiherald.com What will be on the Gables election ballot?<\/p>\n

Voters will weigh in on eight referendums. Some questions you\u2019ll find on the ballot include whether commissioner pay raises should require voter approval, if the city should contract with Miami-Dade County or another entity for inspector general services, if runoff elections should be eliminated, and if future city elections should be moved from April in odd-numbered years to November of even-numbered years.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: What\u2019s on the ballot for Coral Gables\u2019 April election? A look at the referendums<\/a><\/p>\n

If you have questions<\/p>\n

If you have questions about your ballot or the election, call the Elections Department hotline at 305-722-VOTE (8683).<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Michelle Marchante<\/a><\/p>\n

Miami Herald<\/p>\n

Michelle Marchante covers the pulse of healthcare in South Florida and also the City of Coral Gables. Before that, she covered the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, crime, education, entertainment and other topics in South Florida for the Herald as a breaking news reporter. She recently won first place in the health reporting category in the 2025 Sunshine State Awards for her coverage of Steward Health\u2019s bankruptcy. An investigative series about the abrupt closure of a Miami heart transplant program led Michelle and her colleagues to be recognized as finalists in two 2024 Florida Sunshine State Award categories. She also won second place in the 73rd annual Green Eyeshade Awards for her consumer-focused healthcare stories and was part of the team of reporters who won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for the Miami Herald\u2019s breaking news coverage of the Surfside building collapse. Michelle graduated with honors from Florida International University and was a 2025 National Press Foundation Covering Workplace Mental Health fellow and a 2020-2021 Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism fellow.\u00a0
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