Hurricanes force changes to Florida's election procedures

With Florida still recovering from Hurricane Helene, some state and local officials are bracing for more disruptions from Hurricane Milton that could affect how people vote in the general election.

Gov. Ron DeSantis already has granted counties hardest hit by Helene greater flexibility in distributing mail-in ballots and changing polling sites for in-person voting. Further changes might be necessary after Hurricane Milton.

Florida has a long history of hurricanes — and of making election accommodations because of them.

This year, some voter advocacy groups are pushing for a judge to reopen Florida's voter registration period, arguing that people may have missed their chance to register because they were preoccupied by hurricanes.

Hurricane Helene made landfall in northern Florida on Sept. 26 — the same day that local election officials could begin sending mail-in ballots to voters who requested them.

The hurricane forced thousands of people to flee their homes, some of which are no longer inhabitable. That means it's no longer possible for some voters to receive mail-in ballots at their homes. And that list is likely to grow following Hurricane Milton.

“It’s possible mail ballots could get lost, either getting to the voter or being returned by the voter. They could be damaged, especially if there are high winds and waters," said David Becker, executive director of The Center for Election Innovation and Research.

In such cases, voters can request a replacement mailed ballot or still vote in person.

Helene also damaged voting infrastructure, such as polling locations, in at least 13 counties, mainly along where Florida's panhandle meets its peninsula. Dozens of polling sites were damaged in Pinellas County, near Tampa Bay, which could take another hit from Milton, said Travis Hart, president of the Florida Supervisors of Elections organization.

DeSantis issued an executive order granting flexibility for election officials in those 13 hard-hit counties to alter their procedures because of Helene.

The order allows early voting and Election Day polling places to be changed or consolidated. It also makes it easier for residents to request that mail-in ballots be sent to a different address than where they are registered to vote. And it allows ballots to be sent in forwardable envelopes so that they can reach voters in their new locations.

The gubernatorial order also makes accommodations to try to avoid a potential shortage of poll workers by waiving a training requirement for experienced workers and allowing poll workers to be brought in from other counties.

“Our poll workers, they are very dedicated people, and I know that when it comes to elections, they will show up — unless there’s just something that’s out of their hands that they can’t control,” Hart said.

In general, it's good to make only those election changes that are most necessary, so as to limit confusion for voters, Becker said.

“When voters really want to vote — and by all indications, voters really want to vote in this election — they find a way,” he said.

Monday was the deadline for Florida residents to register to vote in next month's election.

A federal judge was to hear arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit seeking to reopen voter registration. The lawsuit brought by the Florida chapters of the League of Women Voters and NAACP contends that thousands of people may have missed the registration deadline because they were recovering from Helene or preparing to evacuate from Milton.

Voting preparations are like Christmas shopping, said Cecile Scoon, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Florida.

“You tend to wait for the last two to three weeks to buy the present,” Scoon said. “Voting is very similar. The interest skyrockets” as a deadline approaches.

The Florida Supervisors of Elections association did not request an extension of the voter registration period. Hart said “people had ample time” to register.

There's not much evidence to suggest that voter registration deadlines suppress participation in elections, Becker said. But reopening a voter registration period — even if justified — could fuel disinformation and false claims about an election from a losing candidate, he said.

This is not the first time Florida has had to make adjustments to election plans in counties hit by hurricanes.

After Hurricane Charley struck southwest Florida in August 2004, then-Gov. Jeb Bush allowed election officials in 10 counties to delay early voting, set up new polling places and extend the deadline to hire poll workers ahead of the state’s primary election.

In October 2016, Hurricane Matthew skirted Florida’s entire Atlantic Coast and forced many government offices to close just days before the deadline to register to vote in the presidential election. Democrats sued then-Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, to extend the registration deadline. Scott refused, but a federal judge ordered the deadline extended by one day.

In October 2018, Scott allowed Gulf and Bay counties to make adjustments after Hurricane Michael caused widespread damage. Supervisors were allowed to forward mail-in ballots to temporary addresses and to relocate or combine polling places.