Florida's Final 24 Hours: Black Voter Turnout in Riviera Beach and South Florida Could Shape Election Day
Political organizations are concentrating on historically Black communities across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties — Riviera Beach among them — in the final day before polls open Tuesday at 7 a.m.
With Election Day just hours away, Florida is entering the final and potentially most consequential stage of the 2026 midterms, M.I.A Media Group reported Monday. Monday, Nov. 2, is the last full day for candidates to persuade undecided voters before polls open Tuesday at 7 a.m., and across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, political organizations are concentrating on historically Black communities — including Liberty City, Overtown, Miami Gardens, Lauderhill, Lauderdale Lakes, Pompano Beach and Riviera Beach, in this station's home county. Campaign volunteers were expected to keep contacting residents, distributing voting information and encouraging participation, with national organizations including the NAACP and the National Urban League emphasizing civic engagement, particularly among Black men and younger voters.
The stakes the report names extend beyond party: public education, housing affordability, health care, economic opportunity and civil rights. At the top of the ballot, Republican Byron Donalds and Democrat David Jolly present competing visions in the governor's race — Donalds emphasizing conservative economic policies, reduced regulation and school choice, Jolly focused on affordability, public education and economic opportunity — while the Senate race between Republican incumbent Ashley Moody and Democratic challenger Angie Nixon turns on federal spending, immigration enforcement, health care and civil rights. Florida's Amendment 3, which would increase the homestead exemption for certain non-school property taxes and reduce the assessment growth cap for non-homestead properties, adds a tax question whose critics warn of pressure on local services.
For Democrats, strong Black voter participation could help offset Republican advantages elsewhere in Florida, the report said, but early-voting totals reveal participation patterns only — party registration does not establish how individuals voted, and both parties must still persuade supporters who have not voted to appear Tuesday. Florida polls open Tuesday at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. local time; anyone in line at closing may vote; voters must report to their assigned precinct with acceptable photo and signature identification; and most domestic mail ballots must reach county election offices by 7 p.m. Tuesday, with statewide reporting continuing after Panhandle polls close at 8 p.m. Eastern.
