Florida elections officials seek flexibility on voting rules after hurricanes

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Florida's recent hurricanes could make it difficult for voters in affected areas to cast their ballots in the upcoming election unless Gov. Ron DeSantis waives and modifies some rules, county election supervisors said in a letter to state officials.

In a six-page letter sent Tuesday by the supervisors' association to Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd, who oversees elections, the group said Hurricanes Helene and Milton have destroyed polling sites and left some of their employees, voters and poll workers homeless.

Most of the affected counties are on the Gulf Coast, where both storms caused major damage.

Association Executive Director David Ramba listed 10 modifications for DeSantis to consider including granting extra time for setting up early voting and drop box sites, giving voters flexibility in requesting mail-in ballots and waiving training for some poll workers. State law gives the governor authority to modify voting rules after hurricanes and other natural disasters.

Florida is expecting a large turnout as voters will be casting ballots for not only president and Senate but ballot propositions that would legalize marijuana and overturn the state's newly enacted ban on abortion six weeks after conception. Early voting starts Monday in some Florida counties and most mail-in ballots have already been sent. The deadline for requesting a mail-in ballot is next week.

Ryan Cox, Ramba’s deputy, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the state's election supervisors will be able get their polls open and ballots cast if given some flexibility. While Florida long had a reputation as a national laughingstock for its election problems, starting with the 2000 presidential recount, its 2020 and 2022 elections were conducted with almost no problems.

"These supervisors are very, very, very good at working through what they need," Cox said. “They are very good at making decisions very quickly and modifying what their set plan was to make sure that every single person that wants to vote has an opportunity to do that.”

The group's letter listed multiple Florida counties that experienced “significant damage” following Hurricanes Helene and Milton, with repeated mentions to counties surrounding Tampa Bay: Sarasota, Manatee, Pinellas and Pasco. The letter noted that multiple polling locations have been “destroyed or rendered inaccessible due to flooding and structural damage."

Byrd’s office not respond to a request for comment Wednesday on whether the state would grant flexibility or accommodations. Byrd is appointed by DeSantis.

Following Helene, DeSantis did issue an executive order allowing counties to make changes to early voting sites and ease mail-in ballot restrictions. But he rejected the supervisors' request to extend the Oct. 7 voter registration deadline. They said an extension was needed as some areas were cleaning up from Helene while also preparing for Milton.

Amy Keith, Florida executive director for the voting advocacy group Common Cause, said it and other groups have also sent a letter to DeSantis and Byrd asking them to extend the registration deadline because of the storms and to make other voting accommodations in the affected counties.

“I am extremely concerned that during this election, things will prove a lot more complicated for voters and their families who are still recovering from the catastrophic damages from both of these record-breaking storms,” Keith said.