Hundreds of South-Florida-based Colombians woke up early on Friday to go to the consulate in Miami to cast their early votes in what is set to be one of the most critical elections in the country’s history. The heat and, in some cases, the extreme distances did not deter those who came early on a Friday morning, many probably having asked for a day off from work or permission from their bosses to do so.
The intention and conviction with which most voters had arrived at the location was palpable. The tension outside the Coral Gables Museum was equally palpable, as Abelardo de La Espriella’s and Paloma Valencia’s supporters set their spots across the street from the museum with their flags and posters. Right beside them, there was also a man with a large Trump flag, pacing back and forth in front of the spot where the two right-wing adversaries had set up.
Both were watching over how their compatriots entered the Coral Gables Museum to hopefully vote for the candidate they backed. Inside the museum, the scene was hectic. Members of Colombia’s diplomatic mission were guiding voters to the table they were registered in to guarantee they were voting at the right spot.
Outside, the line kept building up through the day. The word spread inside that the line had reached the next block, increasing the expectation inside the consulate.
The elections were celebrated in peace on Friday
The jurors at the tables, which were usually four per table, were mostly volunteers. Regular people with jobs who willingly took time off to help guarantee that the election overseas is as transparent and democratic as the election back home. At times, the museum did feel like Colombia.
People of all ages also made their presence felt at the voting site. Older folks were brought by their younger family members; parents also took their children to the voting site.
It is not a minor detail, as this is an act of identity building. Most of the children who came to the site with their parents are probably based in the United States. The experience of lining up under the sun, listening to chants, and seeing how the votes go into the boxes will be the gateway into both their identity as Colombians or Colombian-Americans, who will hopefully grow up understanding the responsibility that comes with having Colombian heritage.
This responsibility has resonated to a lesser degree with young adults. At least it didn’t on Friday, as it was by far the most underrepresented age group that day. A man at the voting site also noticed this discrepancy in age groups, and theorized that “Gen Z’s willingness to come out and vote had died out with Paloma’s campaign.” Then he chuckled.
Despite the tension, the day advanced with remarkable peacefulness. American police were present outside the museum for the entire day, and have been for the entire week. They will also be present in all the other South Florida locations this Sunday.
Registered Colombians in South Florida can still vote in the 2026 election
In Miami, there will be two additional locations to the consulate for the 2026 Colombian election: The Miami Dade College Kendall Campus’s gymnasium at 11011 SW 104 St and the Milander Center for Arts and Entertainment, at 4800 Palm Ave., in Hialeah.
Elsewhere in South Florida, voting is set to take place in Broward County at Cypress Bay High School’s gymnasium at 18600 Vista Park Boulevard, in Weston, and Coral Springs High School at 7201 West Sample Road. There will also be one voting precinct at Palm Beach State College’s Public Safety Conference Center at 200 S Congress Ave., in Lake Worth Beach.
The Palm Beach location had to be changed due to the fact that during the congressional elections, chaos ensued at the northernmost location.
The post was opened late because the consul was hit by a drunk driver early in the morning, and was closed off 10 minutes early by American police due to the chaotic nature of the situation. With the switch in location, there is hope that Sunday’s election day will play out in peace, with all democratic guarantees.