As Tens of Thousands of Voters in Florida’s Storm-tossed Panhandle try to Recover from the devastation of Hurricane Michael, their Communities are grappling with yet another problem, an General Election thrown into Disarray. With Power Out in many areas and Phone Lines down, it’s still not clear how many Voters across the State have been Affected. Nor is it Clear which Voter Precincts were damaged, or what exactly the State should do to make Voting easier for Survivors and the Displaced.
Then there are the more crass Political considerations. The State’s Senate and Gubernatorial Races are virtually tied at the moment, and Eight of the 11 Counties without Power, an area affecting 135,000 Customers, are Republican-performing Counties.
One Option available to GOP Gov. Rick Scott, who’s running to topple Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, is to Delay the General Election in State Races, but Not His Federal Race, under an Emergency Power Floridians granted Governors in the wake of Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
It’s an unlikely scenario, but it’s one that Florida Democrats discussed Monday and Tuesday. They also corresponded with the State’s Elections Division in Support of more Voting Opportunities for Hurricane Survivors. And they privately War-Gamed how to reach Voters and debated what to do if the State decides to place any Super-Voting Precincts in GOP-heavy areas, but not Democratic ones.
Between House Races, the Governor’s Race, and Scott's Senate Contest, Scott’s ultimate Decision could have far-reaching Implications in a State with a History of razor-thin Elections Margins and Controversies, and it could even affect the Balance of Power in Washington.
Polling in the nationally watched Senate and Gubernatorial Races in the Country’s largest Swing State has temporarily ground to a Halt for Political Parties, Campaigns, and Independent Groups trying to get a read on what Voters think. Some Pollsters are holding off making Calls even as Phone service returns because it’s unseemly to Call Homeowners who are interested in talking only to Insurance Adjusters about home damage.
The predicament for Pollsters is equally acute for Candidates and Political groups. After a Hurricane, Candidates typically take great pains to make sure they don’t look like Political Opportunists. Yet they still need to, and do, Campaign.
Scott’s Office won’t say what his Plans are in regards to Delaying the General Election, but he’s expected to issue an Emergency Order Concerning Early and Absentee-Ballot Voting at the request of Elections Supervisors in Florida’s Hardest-hit Counties. Complicating matters, the Hurricane struck just as Absentee Voting by Mail got under way. So far, about 453,000 People Statewide had already Voted by Tuesday morning, only 4,100 of whom were in the 11 affected Counties. More issues surfaced: Did any Ballots get Lost in the mail? When will Mail service resume?
Okaloosa County Elections Supervisor Paul Lux, Chairman of Florida’s Elections Supervisors Association, asked the State Sunday to consider several major alterations: “Mega-Precincts,” in which any County Voter can Drop-Off a Ballot because Precincts have been Destroyed; a Process to allow People without ID to Cast Regular Ballots if Provisional Ballots are in short supply; Aid to help Evacuated Nursing Home Residents Vote by Absentee Ballot; ideas to figure out how to Deliver Absentee Ballots from One County to the next if Mail Service is down; consideration of whether to allow Overseas Voters to cast Absentee Ballots via email.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
