News

DeSantis eases voting access in counties hit by Hurricane Ian : NPR


Power crews work to restore power following Hurricane Ian on October 6 on San Carlos Island, in Florida’s Lee County.

Win McNamee / Getty Images


hide captions

switch captions

Win McNamee / Getty Images


Power crews work to restore power following Hurricane Ian on October 6 on San Carlos Island, in Florida’s Lee County.

Win McNamee / Getty Images

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an order Thursday expanding early voting and vote-by-mail access to certain voters impacted by Hurricane Ian ahead of this fall’s election.

According to the governor’s office, order was made at the request of election officials in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota counties, and the changes apply to residents of those counties, which were among the hardest hit by the storm. died at the end of last month.

State officials said election supervisors in those three counties reported severe damage to polling stations, disruptions to utilities and telecommunications services, and visitor shortages. polls and many voters relocated just weeks before Election Day. To date, no local officials in Florida have reported any damage to voting equipment.

In a statement, Secretary of State Florida Wire Byrd said his office was in touch with local officials to “ensure that the 2022 General Election is run as efficiently and safely as possible” in counties that suffered the most from the hurricane. Hurricane Ian.

“Florida will continue to lead in terms of holding elections in 2022,” Byrd said. “And I am grateful and confident that our local election officials will have all the resources and support they need to conduct another successful election.”

The governor’s order allows Charlotte, Lee, and Sarasota counties to designate additional early voting locations, and then expand those locations through Election Day. These locations mean that voters in the affected areas will be able to vote at any of these vote centers, instead of just being able to vote in their local constituency on Sunday. Election Day. This allows local officials to find fewer locations to open on Election Day.

Lee County Election Supervisor told NPR last week that dozens of locations on the Election Day campus were down.

Under the order, officials must publicly notify voters of any changes they make.

The order also allows voters in those counties to request by phone that their mail-in ballot be mailed to an address not currently included in their vote-by-mail request. This change is intended to make voting by mail easier for those displaced from their homes.

Officials in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota counties can also now waive existing poll worker training requirements ahead of the election. In an effort to increase the pool of eligible workers, any pollster who has received prior training for the 2020 election cycle or subsequent elections can become a pollster. No training needed this year.

The order of DeSantis follows a a series of reforms in Florida added new restrictions on voting. Measures passed after the 2020 election set new limits on mail-in and drop-box voting, among other things.

DeSantis himself will run for re-election this year. The three counties affected by the order are all Republican. In 2020, Donald Trump won 62%, 59% and 54% of the vote in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota counties, respectively.

news7f

News7F: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button