Elections Changes OK’d in Milton’s Aftermath

By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday issued an order allowing voting-related changes in counties hammered by Hurricane Milton, the second time in less than a month flexibility has been given to supervisors of elections because of catastrophic storm damage.

Milton made landfall in Sarasota County last week and caused widespread flooding, spawned dozens of tornadoes and left a wake of destruction as it barrelled across Florida into the Atlantic Ocean.

Milton came about two weeks after Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Taylor County on Sept. 26 and caused widespread damage along the Gulf Coast.

DeSantis on Thursday issued an executive order allowing supervisors of elections in Milton-affected counties to make changes such as consolidating polling sites and making it easier for displaced voters to obtain mail-in ballots.

The order allows supervisors “to make, you know, reasonable, modest but reasonable, accommodations if they have had damage to any of their voting sites because of the storm, and to be able to ensure that folks have an ability and a place to be able to cast their ballot,” the governor told reporters Thursday during an appearance in Sarasota.

DeSantis issued the order less than three weeks before the Nov. 5 elections and as early-voting sites prepare to open Monday in many counties. It applies to Collier, Glades, Highlands, Indian River, Manatee, Orange, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and St Lucie counties and comes after a similar order giving flexibility to supervisors in 10 counties affected by Helene. Thursday’s order also will allow early voting to continue through Election Day at supervisors’ offices in hard-hit Pinellas and Taylor counties.

Manatee County Supervisor of Elections James Satcher told The News Service of Florida his region was hit “back-to-back” by the powerful storms. Milton caused flooding at polling sites and destroyed a voting location that was part of a mobile-home park, Satcher said Thursday.

“We were only going to have to move one polling place after Helene, but obviously after Milton we had more spots that we’re having to move and combine,” he said. “I do know that between the people that are serious about voting and the help we’ve got from the state, I think people are going to get their opportunity to vote. We have the flexibility we need to make sure people are able to cast their vote securely and safely.”

With voting by mail already under way, supervisors in affected areas are rushing to inform voters about upcoming changes.

The pair of storms wreaked havoc in Pinellas County, with 15 precincts damaged by Helene alone. Pinellas Supervisor of Elections Julie Marcus has launched a dedicated web page to address the storm-related changes and issued an update Thursday.

The county has relocated 25 polling places for Election Day but none of the supervisor’s early-voting sites or drop-box locations have changed, Marcus said in a news release.

“Voters can feel confident that despite any weather-related obstacles, every eligible voter will have the opportunity to cast a ballot,” the release said.

Marcus’ office “implemented extensive contingency plans to ensure minimal disruption to voters,” the release said, assuring that “accessibility and security of voting options remain top priorities.”

“Whether you choose to vote by mail, at an early voting site, or on Election Day, you can rest assured that access to the ballot remains constant, and election integrity is paramount,” Marcus said.

Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner held a news conference Wednesday to announce relocated Election Day sites. Eight polling sites will be moved because of damage from the storms, and Turner has set up a consolidated voting site for precincts that were damaged.

Satcher said he plans to “over communicate” with voters about changes by posting notices in the newspaper and on the supervisor’s website. In addition, his office will try to email voters whose polling places were affected.

“Our plan is to post it on the door of any polling location that we were formerly planning on using that now can’t be used. So we’re going to err on the side of over communication so that everybody can know where they need to go to vote,” he said.

The Florida Supervisors of Elections association this week asked DeSantis to expand the Helene-related order, saying Milton’s Oct. 9 landfall compounded the destruction and disruption caused by Helene.

“The cumulative impact of these storms has resulted in extensive infrastructure damage, power outages, and displacement of residents, including voters, and poll workers and election workers critical to the electoral process,” the group wrote in a letter Tuesday.

Ryan Cox, the association’s deputy director, said supervisors have maintained Florida’s “gold standard” for elections even during catastrophic storms.

“These dedicated public servants and their staff put in tireless hours to make sure all Floridians who want to vote are able to and that our elections are conducted efficiently and securely under any circumstance,” she said in a text message.

DeSantis’ previous order allowed supervisors to make changes in Charlotte, Citrus, Dixie, Hillsborough, Lee, Levy, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota and Taylor counties.

The orders shortened the time frame for supervisors in heavily damaged areas to make changes to early voting sites and permits them to set up consolidated voting centers where people can cast ballots.

The orders also loosened restrictions on requests for mail-in ballots and will allow state employees to take paid administrative leave to serve as poll workers on Election Day.

Leon County Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley said the changes will help voters who’ve been displaced by the storms or who are working on recovery efforts outside of their home counties or even out of Florida.

“You can request a mail ballot be sent to an address by calling our office, instead of having to fill out all of this paperwork that you may not have in front of you. You may not have a way to print it, especially if you are living in a tent or on a cot somewhere or sleeping in your utility truck or something like that. You can call your home elections office and request that ballot and we can get those in the mail to you,” Earley said in an interview Thursday.

Brad Ashwell, Florida state director of the group All Voting is Local, acknowledged the storm-related orders will help alleviate pressure on voters but said they don’t go far enough. He suggested Secretary of State Cord Byrd’s office should consolidate information about election changes and post it on his office’s website.

“There’s just a tremendous potential for voter confusion here, and we really need to see all officials, but ideally the state, playing a bigger role … in making this information easy to find wherever a voter is likely to look for it,” Ashwell said.

— News Service staff writer Jim Turner and Assignment Manager Tom Urban contributed to this report.