- Most voters didn’t participate: Despite the record-high turnout, a striking 77% of active voters in Coral Gables did not cast a ballot in the runoff election. This points to the disengagement of a large portion of the electorate in runoff races, which historically suffer from low turnout. While the 23.1% turnout in this election was significant, it underscores the challenge of motivating voters to return for a second round, especially in a city where turnout typically drops off in such contests.
- Mail ballots decisive: For the first time in Coral Gables’ history, mail ballots which accounted for 54% of the total vote, surpassed in-person voting. Richard Lara excelled in this category, securing 54% of the mail ballots, which played a crucial role in his victory over Tom Wells, who could not mobilize enough absentee voters.
- Fundraising disparity key factor: Lara’s $271,950 in total fundraising provided him with a massive advantage over Wells, who raised only $19,420, almost exclusively from himself. Lara’s financial edge allowed him to saturate the city with ads, mailers, and voter outreach, ensuring his message reached a broad audience and that his supporters turned out in large numbers.
- Strong, wide-spread precinct-level support for Lara: Lara’s win in 13 of the 16 precincts in Coral Gables demonstrated his wide-ranging appeal across the city. His largest margins came in Precinct 617 (Coral Gables Fire Station No. 3) and Precinct 611 (Coral Gables Senior High School), where he won by 169 votes and 160 votes, respectively, showcasing his ability to connect with voters in both one of the city’s wealthiest areas and more moderate neighborhoods.
Author: Coral Gables Gazette News Staff
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While the voter turnout may have been “record-breaking” for Coral Gables, it remains evident that the great majority of our residents are apathetically unengaged in our elections. Every time I read a comment by one of the winning candidates crowing about the exceptionally large turnout, it turns my stomach. Whatever twist one wants to put on it, as this graph clearly demonstrates, 23% of voting residents equals 77% who did NOT vote. That is pitiful and disgraceful.
There is also a significant difference between registered voters (34,021) and residents (49,248 per the 2020 U.S. census which has likely increased due to the rise of multi-family construction and density in Coral Gables in the last 5 years). I understand that residents include people who live in our City but are either not yet 18, are not a U.S. citizen or have not taken the time to register to vote. Registered voters only represent 69% of residents in Coral Gables.
Residents pay property taxes, spend money in our City supporting local businesses, own businesses in our City paying wages and rent to Coral Gables property owners and make donations to charities, churches and synagogues. To be an inclusive community to all residents, we need to recognize the overwhelming majority of people who have chosen not to vote or are not allowed to vote. And we need to focus on ways to engage and increase voter turnout among the 69% of residents who are registered voters.