Miami Dade County Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026

August 18 result: incumbent Vicki Lopez (42.3 percent) fell short of a majority and meets Rob Piper (29.5 percent) in a November 3 runoff; Joe Sanchez was eliminated by 211 votes, per Florida Politics.

• Vicki LopezIncumbent▾

  Vicki Lopez is the appointed incumbent District 5 commissioner, facing her first commission election on the August 18 ballot. A former state legislator, she was appointed in late 2025 after Eileen Higgins resigned to run for Miami mayor, and has drawn endorsements from the Miami-Dade Sheriff, the county firefighters union, and the South Florida PBA while raising nearly $1.2 million, per Florida Politics coverage. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026.

  Priorities: Housing and condo-safety policy · Transportation · Constituent services

  Full profile →
• Rob Piper▾

  Rob Piper is a retired Marine Corps officer who served from 1993 to 2016 with three combat tours in Iraq, later a Florida House legislative aide with a PhD in international relations, per his campaign site. The Miami-Dade Democratic Party endorsed him in this race, per the party's voter guide.

  Priorities: Transparency and accountability in county government · Lower housing costs and expand affordable housing · Climate resilience and flood protection (per the campaign site)

  Full profile →Campaign site →

August 18 result: Katrina Wilson and Linda Cothiere advance to a November runoff in the seven-candidate race to succeed Steve Gallon III, per Axios Miami.

• Linda Cothiere▾

  Cothiere Aristide has more than a decade of classroom experience teaching in Miami-Dade public schools and has built adult-education programs connecting neighbors to careers, per the campaign site. Her husband served the district for more than 30 years, including as principal of Miami Northwestern Senior High, per the campaign site.

  Priorities: Expand preschool opportunities · Oppose school partnerships with immigration enforcement (per the Miami Times debate coverage)

  Full profile →Campaign site →
• Katrina Wilson▾

  Wilson has more than 30 years of experience in education and public service, working as a teacher, principal, and district administrator, per the campaign site.

  Priorities: Academic excellence and student success · Supporting teachers and building community partnerships · Safe and welcoming schools (per the campaign site)

  Full profile →Campaign site →

• Yolanda Aguilar▾

  Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.

• Gustavo Ortega · Democrat▾

  Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.
• Elchonon Shagalov▾

  Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.

• Raquel Regalado▾

  Listed from official election filings. The Ballot Brief has not yet researched a profile for this candidate; confirm the race and candidate with the official election office linked at the bottom of this page.