Voting Rights Groups Seek 'Emergency Actions' To Ensure Voting Access In Ian Zone

Florida Phoenix

October 12, 2022

Noting that the destruction from Hurricane Ian has disrupted the normal election administration in several southwest counties, a coalition of voting and civil rights groups have asked Florida election officials take “emergency actions to ensure access for all Floridians.”

Election Day is just 27 days away, and the deadline to register for the Nov. 8 election expired on Tuesday. Extending that deadline for another week is among the actions recommended by the groups, which include the the Florida State Conference of the NAACP, All Voting is Local Florida, Common Cause Florida, Equal Ground, ACLU of Florida, Campaign Legal Center, Demos, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Such changes would require an executive order by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Here are some of the other changes that the voting rights groups are calling for:

The changes would apply in any county subject to FEMA disaster declaration from the storm. As of Oct. 10, FEMA lists 19 different counties throughout the state.

There is recent precedent in Florida for making such voting changes this soon after a natural disaster.

Hurricane Michael hit the Panhandle area of North Florida on Oct. 10, 2018, less than a month before the midterm elections. Then-Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order on Oct. 18 that allowed election supervisors in eight-hurricane hit counties to extend early voting days and designate more early voting sites, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The Florida Phoenix, a nonprofit news site that’s free of advertising and free to readers, covers state government and politics through a mix of in-depth stories, briefs, and social media updates on the latest events, editorial cartoons, and progressive commentary. The Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers.