Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order on Thursday aimed at ensuring adequate access to the ballots for the midterm elections in three counties hit hard by Hurricane Ian.
A statement from DeSantis' office said he signed the order at the request of the supervisors of elections in Charlotte, Lee, and Sarasota countries.
Hurricane Ian and its 150 mph winds ripped into southwest Florida, wiping out whole neighborhoods, tossing boats onto highways, sweeping away beaches, and swamping homes in roof-deep waters, The Associated Press noted.
More than 100 people were killed with most of victims in Florida. It was the third-deadliest storm to hit the U.S. mainland this century.
According to the statement from DeSantis' office the executive order:
- Extends the number of days for early voting and designates additional early voting locations. The early voting period may begin as early as Monday, Oct. 24, and can extend through Election Day, Nov. 8.
- Allows voters in the three counties to request by phone that their vote-by-mail ballot be mailed to an address other than the one on record. Voters must still provide an appropriate form of identification in the same manner as absent uniform service and overseas voters.
- Designates and provides notice of the locations for secure ballot intake stations and relocates and consolidates polling locations as necessary.
- Increases the pool of eligible poll workers who may serve within Charlotte, Lee, and Sarasota counties by making eligible any poll workers previously trained for the 2020 election cycle and by encouraging state employees to serve as poll workers in these counties.”
DeSantis, a Republican, is facing former Rep. Charlie Crist, a Democrat, in November.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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