The City of Miami Beach’s General and Special Elections are scheduled for November 5, 2019, with any Run-Off Election to occur on November 19, 2019. The City is required by State Election Law and the City Code to designate a Canvassing Board, which has the responsibility of canvassing vote-by-mail (formerly “absentee”) ballots as well as overseeing the conduct of the Elections.
Pursuant to City Code Section 38-8, the Canvassing Board is composed of a County Court Judge (appointed by the Chief Judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit), the City Clerk, and a member of the City Commission to be appointed by the Commission. Canvassing Board members may not be candidates with opposition in the City's General or Run-Off Elections, nor may they be active participants in the campaign or candidacy of any candidate with opposition in said Elections.
Since no member of the City Commission is eligible to serve on the Canvassing Board (because each Commission member is either a candidate with opposition in the City's General/Run-Off Elections, or is an active participant in the campaign or candidacy of a candidate with opposition in said Elections), the City Clerk is required per City Code Section 38-8(b) to appoint a qualified elector1 of the City to serve as a Substitute member of the Canvassing Board. the City Clerk is also required to select a qualified elector of the City to serve as an Alternate member, who will serve as a member of the Canvassing Board in the event the Substitute member or other member (besides the County Court Judge) is unable to serve.2
Accordingly, the City Clerk has selected Judy Hoanshelt, City Grants Manager, to serve as the (non-County Court Judge) Substitute Member of the Canvassing Board, and Jimmy McMillion, City Financial Analyst III, to serve as the Alternative Member of the Canvassing Board.
On August 29, 2019, Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida Bertila Soto entered Administrative Order No. 19-83 designating Judge Raul Cuervo to serve as the regular member and Judge Eleane Sosa-Burzon to serve as the substitute member of the Canvassing Board. A copy of Administrative Order No. 19-83 is attached.
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1 A "qualified elector" is a resident of the City of Miami Beach, over the age of 18, who is a registered voter with the Miami-Dade County Elections Department.
2 See, City Code section 38-8(b). Note: In the event the County Judge selected by the Chief Judge is unable to serve on the Canvassing Board, such County Court Judge shall be replaced with another County Court Judge appointed by Chief Judge to serve as Substitute member.