Florida’s Department of State is collaborating with Supervisors of Elections and taking necessary steps to ensure voting in case of emergencies.
TAMPA, Fla.—For the past 164 years, election day in the United States has remained free of hurricanes.
Nevertheless, with the looming threat of hurricanes as the Nov. 5 deadline approaches, Florida and Alabama are prepared to uphold the voting process as planned.
Mark Ard, interim communications director for Florida’s Department of State, emphasized the close coordination between the state department and county Supervisors of Elections in the event of emergencies impacting voting. Despite facing severe hurricanes in the last two general election cycles, Florida managed to ensure that elections proceeded smoothly even in the face of challenges such as lost polling locations and displaced voters.
Florida’s Department of State is currently working with Supervisors of Elections in areas affected by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton to facilitate voting for residents. Governor Ron DeSantis has signed executive orders authorizing the supervisors to implement necessary measures to accommodate voters, such as extending deadlines for early voting locations, consolidating polling locations, and utilizing various personnel to ensure the delivery of mail-in ballots.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted a total of 17 to 24 named storms for the current hurricane season, with Hurricane Milton marking the 13th storm of the year.
Historical records from NOAA dating back to 1861 show no instances of tropical storms or hurricanes making landfall in the United States on or around election day. The closest occurrence was in 1904 when an unnamed tropical storm hit Florida before dissipating without significant impact on election results.
Despite the lack of election-day hurricanes, past presidential election years have seen hurricanes and tropical storms active in various regions, posing challenges for voters in affected areas.
While there is no specific forecast for an election-day hurricane this year, states like Florida have established plans to address such scenarios. Florida Statute 252.365 mandates a comprehensive disaster-preparedness plan to ensure the continuity of essential state functions under all circumstances.
Other hurricane-prone states like Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas have also likely developed contingency plans for election-day voting in the event of a hurricane. Alabama, for instance, has confirmed the existence of emergency contingency plans but cannot disclose details for security reasons.
As early voting continues across the country, with over 10 million votes already cast as of Oct. 18, states like Florida and Georgia have seen significant voter turnout.
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