Florida to bend voting rules in counties hit by hurricane

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — With tens of thousands throughout the region still without power, Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday relaxed or waived voting rules for eight counties hammered by Hurricane Michael last week.

Scott’s order represents a delicate balancing act for the Republican governor since most of the Panhandle counties affected by the decision are GOP strongholds that usually deliver thousands of votes for Republican candidates. Scott himself is challenging Democrat U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in a closely watched race that could help decide control of the U.S. Senate.

Hurricane Michael roared ashore last week and left a trail of ruin for roughly 80 miles, stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Georgia border.

Using his emergency power as governor, Scott relaxed rules on early voting, including limits on where local election officials are normally allowed to set up early voting sites. He also said that election supervisors could extend the early voting period all the way to Election Day. Florida law requires early voting to wrap up the weekend before Election Day.

The governor’s order also allows people to request that mail-in ballots be delivered to a different address than the one on file in the state’s voter registration list.

“Any flexibility like this gives me the ability to give my voters more of a chance and opportunity to vote, especially when conditions are like this,” said John Hanlon, the elections supervisor for Gulf County on the coast.

State officials said they made these moves amid reports of damaged polling places, power outages and limited phone service. The Department of State said in a press release that no voting equipment was damaged. Sarah Revell, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Ken Detzner, said he was not available to discuss the governor’s executive order.

In a statement, Florida Democratic Party chairwoman Terrie Rizzo said the party supported the governor’s steps so far.