Planning to vote in the Miami-Dade and Broward elections? How to cast your ballot early

The August primary is almost here, and if you want to cast your vote ahead of Election Day, you have options.

You can either vote by mail or vote early at the polls before the Aug. 23 primary in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Miami, Miami Beach, Miami Gardens and Golden Beach are also having special elections.

So when does early voting start? And who can cast a vote?

Here’s what you should know:

When does early voting start and end?

▪ Miami-Dade early voting for 2022 primaries: Aug. 8-21.

Hours of operation:

Sites are open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 8-12.

From Aug. 15-19, sites are open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

On the weekends (Aug. 13-14, Aug. 20-21), sites are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

▪ Broward early voting for 2022 primaries: Aug. 13-21. Sites are open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

▪ Election Day for the 2022 Primary: Aug. 23.

Who can vote in Florida’s primary?

Florida is a closed primary state, which means only people who are registered members of a political party, such as Republican and Democrat, can vote for their respective party candidates in a primary election.

Independent voters, registered as NPA (no party affiliation), can only vote in the primary for nonpartisan races. Those include judicial, school board, nonpartisan special districts or local referendum questions.

Registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, can also vote in races in which all candidates running for a specific position are part of the same party and the winner of the primary will not face an opponent in the general election.

TIP: If you’re not sure which races are on your ballot, see a sample of your ballot online. (More on this later.)

READ NEXT: Is a ballot selfie legal in Florida? Here are things you can and can’t do at the polls

What do you need for early voting in Miami-Dade and Broward?

When you go to vote, whether at an early voting site or on Election Day, you must have a current and valid photo ID with signature.

These include your Florida driver’s license, a Florida ID card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, a U.S. passport and a government-issued employee ID.

While not required, officials recommend bringing your voter information card with you to speed up the process.

To see a full list of IDs accepted in Miami-Dade, visit miamidade.gov/elections and click on Voter Toolkit. For Broward, visit browardvotes.gov and click “Voter ID Requirements” under the Voter Information tab (this is under the menu tab).

You’re at the polls and forgot a photo ID. Can you still vote?

If you forgot your wallet and don’t have a photo ID with signature, you can still vote by using a provisional ballot.

If the only reason why you submitted a provisional ballot is because you didn’t have the proper photo and signature ID, you don’t have to do anything else to make your vote count, according to the Florida Division of Elections.

That’s because the local canvassing board will compare your signature with the one in your voter registration record to see if your signatures match. If there’s a problem with your provisional ballot, the Supervisor of Elections’ office will attempt to contact you.

TIP: If you’re submitting a provisional ballot, the polling site should give you a written notice of rights. Keep that document because it has instructions you’ll need to use later to check if your ballot was counted, and if not, why. Just in case you lose the document, Miami-Dade and Broward’s provisional ballot tracker can be found on the elections website.

How to check your sample ballot

It’s a good idea to review your ballot before heading to the polls. That way, you’ll know who’s on the ballot, giving you time to do research on the candidates. You can find your customized sample ballot through the Miami-Dade and Broward election websites.

TIP: Voters can bring a sample ballot or a list with them to the polls to help remember how they planned to vote, whether it is printed or on a phone.

Early voting in Miami-Dade and Broward: Where and when to go

Unlike on Election Day, which has assigned precincts, voters have options on where to go during early voting.

Miami-Dade has 23 early voting sites; Broward does, too. Voters can cast ballots at any early voting center in their county of residence. That convenience lets you cast your vote at a center near work during lunch, for example, or when you take Grandma to vote near her home.

For Miami-Dade, here’s the list of early voting sites:

▪ Coral Gables War Memorial Youth Center, 405 University Dr.

▪ Coral Reef Branch Library, 9211 SW 152nd St.

▪ Elections Department (Main Office) in Doral, 2700 NW 87th Ave.

▪ Florida International University, 11200 SW Eighth St. Voting will be in the Student Academic Success Center. Use the entrance on Southwest 107th Avenue and 16th Street.

▪ Historic Garage, 3250 S. Miami Ave. near Vizcaya.

▪ Homestead Community Center, 1601 N. Krome Ave. in Homestead.

▪ John F. Kennedy Library, 190 W 49th St., Hialeah

▪ Joseph Caleb Center, 5400 NW 22nd Ave. in Miami. Voting is in the Community Meeting Room, Building A.

▪ Kendall Branch Library, 9101 SW 97th Ave.

▪ Lemon City Branch Library, 430 NE 61st St.

▪ Miami Beach City Hall, 1700 Convention Center Dr.

▪ Miami Dade College Kendall Campus, 11011 SW 104th St. Voting will be in The Fascell Conference Center, Building K. Use the entrance on Southwest 104th Street and 113th Place.

▪ Miami Dade College North Campus, 11380 NW 27th Ave. Voting will be in the library, Building 2

▪ Miami Lakes Community Center, 15151 NW 82nd Ave.

▪ North Dade Regional Library, 2455 NW 183rd St. in Miami Gardens

▪ North Miami Public Library, 835 NE 132nd St.

▪ North Shore Branch Library, 7501 Collins Ave. in Miami Beach

▪ Northeast Dade-Aventura Branch Library, 2930 Aventura Blvd.

▪ South Dade Regional Library, 10750 SW 211th St. in Cutler Bay

▪ Stephen P. Clark Government Center, 111 NW First St. in Miami. Voting is in the lobby area of the elections branch office.

▪ West Kendall Regional Library, 10201 Hammocks Blvd.

▪ West Miami Community Center, 901 SW 62nd Ave.

▪ Westchester Regional Library, 9445 SW 24th St.

For Broward, here’s the list of early voting sites:

▪ African-American Research Library, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd. (NW Sixth St.) in Fort Lauderdale

▪ Dania Beach Paul DeMaio Branch Library, 1 Park Ave. East

▪ Davie/Cooper City Branch Library, 4600 SW 82nd Ave.

▪ Emma Lou Olson Civic Center, 1801 NE Sixth St. in Pompano Beach

▪ Fort Lauderdale Branch Library/Art Serve, 1350 E. Sunrise Blvd.

▪ Hallandale Beach Cultural Community Center, 410 SE Third St.

▪ Hollywood Branch Library, 2600 Hollywood Blvd.

▪ Miramar Branch Library, 2050 Civic Center Pl.

▪ North Lauderdale Saraniero Branch Library, 6901 Kimberly Blvd.

▪ Oveta McKeithen Recreational Complex, 445 SW Second St. in Deerfield Beach

▪ Pine Trails Park Amphitheater, 10555 Trails End in Parkland

▪ SOE at E. Pat Larkins Community Center, 520 Martin Luther King Blvd. in Pompano Beach

▪ SOE at Lauderhill Mall, 1519, NW 40th Ave.

▪ South Regional Library/Broward College, 7300 Pines Blvd. in Pembroke Pines

▪ Southwest Regional Library, 16835 Sheridan St. in Pembroke Pines

▪ Sunrise Senior Center, 10650 West Oakland Park Blvd.

▪ Tamarac Branch Library, 8701 W. Commercial Blvd.

▪ West Regional Library, 8601 W. Broward Blvd. in Plantation

▪ North Regional Library/Broward College, 1100 Coconut Creek Blvd.

▪ Weston Branch Library, 4205 Bonaventure Blvd.

▪ Northwest Regional Library, 3151 University Drive in Coral Springs

▪ Woman’s Club of Wilton Manors, 600 NE 21st Ct.

▪ Nova Southeastern University (Alvin Sherman Library), 3100 Ray Ferrero Jr. Blvd. in Davie