Florida is continuing to see the effects of hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton. The storms have affected Election Day preparations, and early voting is already underway in many counties across the state.
Travis Hart, Lafayette County Supervisor of Elections and president of the Florida Supervisors of Elections, discussed voting with Tom Hudson on The Florida Roundup.
“It's been an unprecedented season, that's for sure,” Hart said. “I know my county, here in Lafayette County, we took two on the chin, same path, same both times. My little community called Buckville, where I live, was right on that northeast quadrant. Probably the only area that took it worse than we did was Taylor County. Three hurricanes in 13 months, and they all came right over my house.”
Following the storms, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order allowing for voting changes in impacted counties. It includes letting supervisors of elections make accommodations if voting sites have been damaged.
RELATED: DeSantis issues an order allowing elections changes in Milton's aftermath
“The executive order issued by Gov. DeSantis allows for consolidation of those areas or precincts, and you can move them. So lot of flexibility there. I think we're going to provide a convenient way for all voters to be able to cast their vote, and while also keeping it secure and keeping the integrity intact,” Hart said.
Hart answered some questions voters may have regarding this year’s elections.
If my normal polling place is closed, can I cast my ballot at any polling location in the county I’m registered to vote in?
“On Election Day, they'll still have to report to their precinct. Or if their precinct’s been destroyed or is inaccessible, that's where the consolidation comes into play. The supervisor will be able, forward out information to voters to let them know, hey, your precinct will now be here. But for early voting now, yeah, they can go to the supervisor of elections office, their main and branch offices, and be able to cast their votes there. And that's from anywhere in the county.”
If I'm voting by mail, what should I do if my ballot was damaged, destroyed or lost during the storms?
Hart said you should contact your supervisor of elections office immediately to get another ballot.
“… you're allowed up to three ballots each election. So you just show up whether you have the ballot in hand or not. If you have it in hand, you can surrender it to the poll clerk there. Either way, you can be issued a regular ballot and cast right there on the spot.”
Can I still request a vote-by-mail ballot?
The last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Oct. 24.
“I do like early voting. I mean, you never know what's going to happen on Election Day. If you don't have a plan before Election Day, you might get stuck in a long line or something like that, and you might not get a chance to vote. That's very sad when somebody doesn't, when they have the opportunity and they're unable to be successful with it,” Hart said.
What if I'm in line to vote on Election Day after 7 p.m. and I still haven’t cast my ballot?
“We'll have our poll deputy go stand at the end of the line at 7 p.m. Anybody who comes in after that is ineligible to vote. So he stands up near the line. Everybody ahead of him gets to vote, cast a ballot and anybody that comes up afterward no longer can do that.”
This story was compiled off an interview conducted by Tom Hudson for The Florida Roundup.
