Coral Gables is going all-in on vote by mail. The city will hold a special mail-only referendum on April 21, 2026, with no in-person polling sites and no early voting. Instead, every registered Coral Gables voter will automatically get a ballot delivered to their mailbox.
How the mail-only vote will work
Ballots are scheduled to start going out after March 20, and the city says all registered voters should receive theirs before Election Day. Completed ballots must be received by the Elections Office by 7 p.m. on April 21 for the vote to count, and return postage is already paid. Voters who do not want to drop their ballot back in the mail can hand-deliver it to the Supervisor of Elections office in Doral at 2700 NW 87th Avenue, according to the City of Coral Gables.
Deadlines, replacements and signature cures
The voter registration deadline for this referendum is March 23. If your ballot goes missing or gets damaged, the last day to request a replacement ballot to be mailed is 5 p.m. on April 9. Replacement ballots can also be requested in person right up until 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Voters who run into signature issues are not out of luck. If a ballot is missing a signature or the signature does not match what is on file, voters may submit a Cure Affidavit and identification by 5 p.m. on the second day after the election, which is April 23, according to the Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections. The county site also walks voters through how to track their ballot and how to update their signature before the envelope is received by elections officials.
What's on the ballot
The mail ballot will include eight charter questions. Among them: whether to move Coral Gables elections from April in odd-numbered years to November in even-numbered years, whether to eliminate runoff elections, whether commissioners should need voter approval before raising their own pay, and whether the city can contract for inspector-general services. The full text of each proposed amendment and a searchable sample ballot are posted by the city. Voters can review the ballot language and guidance on the City of Coral Gables website.
Why it's drawing attention
City officials say the mail-only format will cut costs and make it easier for residents to participate, and they have planned a voter-education campaign with mailers and instructional videos ahead of the vote. Local reporting has highlighted both enthusiasm and skepticism from residents and watchdogs, and the broader debate over shifting municipal elections to new dates has drawn extra scrutiny. For more background, see coverage in the Gables Gazette.
Voters with questions can call the city’s referendum hotline at 305-722-VOTE (8683) or reach the Supervisor of Elections at 305-499-VOTE (8683).
