2011 Miami-Dade County mayoral recall election

2011 Miami-Dade County mayoral recall election

March 15, 2011
Shall Carlos Álvarez be recalled from the office of Mayor?
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 183,652 88.10% No 24,796 11.90% Valid votes 208,448 99.59% Invalid or blank votes 864 0.41% Total votes 209,312 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 1,212,205 17.27%
Mayor before election Carlos Álvarez Republican Mayor after election Vacant

The 2011 Miami-Dade County mayoral recall election was a recall election that saw the voters of Miami-Dade County, Florida vote to remove mayor of Miami-Dade County Carlos Álvarez from office.

The election was held coincidingly with a vote that also saw Miami-Dade county commissioner Natacha Seihjas also successfully recalled.^[1]

In terms of population, the county was considered the largest United States municipality to recall its executive.^[2][3] The county was also, at the time, the second-largest recall vote of any kind in the United States, after the 2003 California gubernatorial recall election.^[4]

Months after the vote, a special election was held to fill the vacant mayoralty.^[5]

Background

The recall effort against Mayor Álvarez began in late-September 2011, shortly after the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners passed a budget which both raised property taxes and increased the salaries of county employees.^[1][6] The property tax increase was harshly received by voters of the county, who were still notably reeling from the impact of the Great Recession.^[7]

The recall effort was led and financially-backed by billionaire Norman Braman.^[6][7][8]

Election results

2011 Miami-Dade County mayoral recall election[9]
Vote on recall				Votes	Percentage
Y Yes				183,652	88.10
No				24,796	11.90
Totals				208,448	100
Voter turnout				17.27%

References

1. "Carlos Alvarez and Natacha Seijas recall, Miami-Dade County, Florida (2011)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
2. "As recall wave builds, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez first to go", Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, March 16, 2011
3. Hart, Jerry. "Miami-Dade Voters Oust Mayor Alvarez in Largest Municipal Recall". www.bloomberg.com. Bloomberg News. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
4. Rabin, Charles; Pinzur, Matthew (August 28, 2008), "Mayor wins, but discord detected", The Miami Herald, pp. B1
5. DeFede, Jim (April 12, 2011). "Nearly A Dozen People Sign Up For Dade's Mayoral Race". miami.cbslocal.com. CBS Miami (WFOR-TV).
6. Tester, Hank; Hamacher, Brian (September 27, 2010). "Braman Begins Recall Battle With Miami-Dade Mayor". NBC 6 South Florida. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
7. "Miami-Dade voters recall Mayor Carlos Alvarez". www.cbsnews.com. CBS News. Associated Press. March 16, 2011. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
8. "Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez Recalled". ABC News. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
9. "Dade - Election Results". results.enr.clarityelections.com. Miami-Dade County. Retrieved July 6, 2021.