Florida Supervisors of Elections ask for more voting accommodations post-Milton

Voting begins in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

An organization representing election officials in all 67 Florida counties is again asking state officials for short-term accommodations so voters can cast ballots in storm-ravaged areas after Hurricane Milton.

The Florida Supervisors of Elections (FSE) sent a letter to Secretary of State Cord Byrd and Division of Elections Director Maria Matthews requesting temporarily loosened voting restrictions in 10 counties.

They include Manatee, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota counties, which the FSE letter noted as having suffered “extensive damage” from Milton; and Collier, Glades, Highlands, Indian River, Orange and St. Lucie counties in Central and East Florida, which sustained tornadic and water damage that could hinder regular election activity.

Sarasota was also among 13 counties for which the FSE sought changes on Oct. 2 after Hurricane Helene. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order three days later honoring every request the organization made, and even offered more concessions so voting could go smoothly.

Now more help is needed, according to FSE Executive Director David Ramba and Deputy Executive Director Ryan Cox. The two wrote anout how damaged roads, communication networks and public buildings have rendered some polling sites unusable or inaccessible. Power outages and disrupted communication lines are preventing local election officials from notifying voters about substitute sites and procedures.

“(These) regions are facing unprecedented challenges in the aftermath of these hurricanes,” they wrote. “The compounded effects of these natural disasters exacerbated the difficulties in preparing for the upcoming election and an additional Executive Order addressing these concerns is necessary and imperative.”

Additional accommodations the FSE is requesting include:

— Extending the deadline for designating and notifying voters of ballot drop boxes and early voting sites to 10 days before an election, up from 30 days before in Milton-affected counties and 20 days before for Helene-affected counties.

— Waiving a requirement that relocated or consolidated polling places must be within a neighboring precinct.

— Extending early voting through Election Day at the main and branch offices of Pinellas and Taylor counties, both of which were among the 13 counties hit hard by Helene late last month.

— Allowing the secure ballot intake stations (ballot drop boxes) in Pinellas to continue operating through the Monday before Election Day.

— Vote-by-mail modifications, including adding for Milton-affected counties changes DeSantis approved after Helene easing mail-in ballot requests at alternative addresses and extending the deadline for ballot deliveries, waiving the need for voters to fill out an emergency affidavit to request a mail-in ballot during early voting, and enabling immediate family members of first responders, line workers and relief workers to request mail-in ballots on their behalf.

— Extending the deadline for Supervisors to appoint poll workers from 20 days before an election to 10 days before in Collier, Manatee, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Sarasota and St. Lucie counties.

— Adding Collier, Glades, Highland and Polk to the list of counties with looser poll worker requirements this year.

— Suspending “certain provisions” that require early voting to be conducted at the main or branch office of the Supervisor of Elections in Charlotte and Orange counties.

— Waiving a requirement that Supervisors must provide written notice of voting site changes through the U.S. Postal Service.

Hurricane Milton made landfall at Category 3 strength near Siesta Key on Wednesday evening last week, bringing significant storm surges and sustained winds of 120 mph and rendering nearly 3.4 million customers without power.

At least 19 tornadoes across the state accompanied the storm, causing major destruction that, combined with Milton, caused at least 14 deaths and up to $50 billion in covered damage.

The General Election is on Nov. 5. Early voting is underway in many counties across Florida.