Scott Powers
At least 91 polling places around Florida have been moved due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.
Many sites, according to the Florida Democratic party, might be inappropriate for public gatherings, especially those that are at or near nursing homes or assisted living facilities.
The party said Saturday that Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee and Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ office had not responded to requests from the Democrats to release lists of polling places that county Supervisors of Elections had to relocate in recent days, so the party officials sought the information directly from the supervisors’ offices.
“We have been able to contact 58 of the 67 County Supervisors offices and they have communicated 91 precincts that have been closed or relocated as a result of the Governor’s call to close certain sites to protect at-risk populations,” FDP Executive Director Juan Peñalosa stated in a news release Monday.
“Our data team has identified 126,731 voters — who have not yet voted — who live in an affected precinct. We have begun texting and calling these voters and encouraging them to call their Supervisor of Elections to confirm their polling place in advance of tomorrow’s election,” he continued.
Peñalosa expressed confidence that county Supervisors of Elections have taken measures to ensure safe elections for those who turn up, but he expressed concern that DeSantis has not provided an updated list of polling site closures and changes. He urged the Governor to still do so.
“Florida Democrats understand the confluence of events that led to the closures just days before our election,” Peñalosa said. “We want to be good partners and help get the word out, but we need the State Department of Elections and the Governor to uphold their responsibility to our Democracy and release information of polling site re-locations so that the Florida Democratic Party, our 100+ staff and thousands of volunteers can help communicate these changes to voters.
