Executive order issued to ensure ballot access for voters in counties severely impacted by Hurricane Ian
The executive order comes after requests from the supervisors of elections in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota counties, and after the recommendation of Secretary of State Cord Byrd.
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order on Thursday morning that will ensure ballot access for voters in counties hit hard by Hurricane Ian, a powerful Category 4 hurricane that made landfall in the southwestern part of the state at the end of September.
The executive order comes after requests from the supervisors of elections in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota counties, and after the recommendation of Secretary of State Cord Byrd, according to a news release.
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Image 1 of 25A car floating in Hurricane Ian's floodwaters in Orlando. (Gerardo Mora)
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Image 2 of 25TOPSHOT - Clouds are reflected on a flooded street with submerged cars in the Orlovista neighborhood following Hurricane Ian on October 1, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. - Deadly Hurricane Ian, one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the United States, was still dumping rain on parts of the country early Saturday, but was beginning to wind down after walloping Florida. (Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images) (BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP)
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Image 3 of 25One of the homes on Sanibel Island after Ian. (FOX Flight Team)
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Image 4 of 25This is all that is left of a southwest Florida neighborhood after Hurricane Ian. ( )
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Image 5 of 25This picture shows how the Florida peninsula is shedding all the water Hurricane Ian dumped on it. (Bob "Farmer" Hines / NASA)
![Florida's Southern Gulf Coast Continues Clean Up Efforts In Wake Of Hurricane Ian]()
Image 6 of 25Members of Virginia Task Force 2 Urban Search and Rescue comb through the wreckage on Fort Myers Beach looking for victims of Hurricane Ian October 04, 2022 in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. (Win McNamee)
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Image 7 of 25A home damaged by Hurricane Ian along Fort Myers Beach, Florida, on Oct. 3, 2022. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service )
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Image 8 of 25Isabella Sbarro, left, hugs her mother, Amy Sbarro, after Amy was evacuated by boat from the isolated Sanibel Island in the wake of Hurricane Ian on October 1, 2022, in Fort Myers, Florida. (Sean Rayford)
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Image 9 of 25A destroyed beach front home that was carried across the street by the storm surge. Scenes of flooding and storm damage after Hurricane Ian ravaged Fort Myers Beach, Fla. (Thomas Simonetti for The Washington Post)
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Image 10 of 25A resident of a neighborhood flooded by the rising Myakka River carries her dog after being evacuated in a boat in the wake of Hurricane Ian on October 01, 2022 in North Port, Florida. (Win McNamee)
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Image 11 of 25Hurricane Ian before landfall (NOAA)
![A resident walks past debris on Pine Island Road following Hurricane Ian in Matlacha Isles, Florida, US, on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. Research firm Enki Holdings LLC pegs the economic cost of Hurricane Ian at $60 billion to $70 billion, based on damage to homes and infrastructure, as well as the cost of reconstruction and longer-term knock-on effects including the disruption in tourism.]()
Image 12 of 25A resident walks past debris on Pine Island Road following Hurricane Ian in Matlacha Isles, Florida, US, on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. Research firm Enki Holdings LLC pegs the economic cost of Hurricane Ian at $60 billion to $70 billion, based on damage to homes and infrastructure, as well as the cost of reconstruction and longer-term knock-on effects including the disruption in tourism. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg)
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Image 13 of 25Ron Latta's boat is seen in a stand of magroves in Fort Myers, Florida, on Oct. 3, 2022. ( )
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Image 14 of 25In this aerial view, boats sit grounded in a woodland area and along the side of the road after being pushed by rising water from Hurricane Ian near Fort Myers Beach on September 29, 2022 in San Carlos Island, Florida. (Win McNamee)
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Image 15 of 25People clear debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers Beach, Florida on September 30, 2022. (GIORGIO VIERA/AFP)
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Image 16 of 25People walk on a flooded street at a trailer park following Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, Florida, US, on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. (Eva Marie Uzcategui / Bloomberg)
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Image 17 of 25People clear debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers Beach, Florida on September 30, 2022. (GIORGIO VIERA/AFP)
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Image 18 of 25In an aerial view, boats are piled on top of each other after Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 29, 2022 in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Joe Raedle)
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Image 19 of 25A group of good samaritans rescued an elderly man stranded in surging waters in Bonita Springs, Florida, as Hurricane Ian battered the state's southwestern coastline on Wednesday, September 28. (@colliercountycowboys_ via Storyful)
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Image 20 of 25A man takes photos of boats damaged by Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, Florida, on September 29, 2022. (GIORGIO VIERA/AFP)
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Image 21 of 25A boat is left stranded on the shore in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, Florida, on September 29, 2022. (GIORGIO VIERA/AFP)
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Image 22 of 25Boat are partially submerged at a marina in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, Florida, on September 29, 2022. (GIORGIO VIERA/AFP)
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Image 23 of 25Hurricane Ian's impact on Naples, Florida. (Naples Police Department)
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Image 24 of 25Wind blows palm trees ahead of Hurricane Ian in Charlotte Harbor, Florida, on September 28, 2022. (RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP)
![Hurricane Ian flooded areas in Kissimmee, Florida after dropping more than a foot of rain. First responders used air boats to rescue dozens from flooded homes in the Kissimmee area on Sept. 29, 2022.]()
Image 25 of 25Hurricane Ian flooded areas in Kissimmee, Florida after dropping more than a foot of rain. First responders used air boats to rescue dozens from flooded homes in the Kissimmee area on Sept. 29, 2022. (Image: Brandy Campbell/FOX Weather) ( )
The executive order will now authorize the supervisors of elections in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota counties to:
- Extend the number of days for early voting and designate additional early voting locations. The early voting period may begin ease early as Oct. 24, 2022, and can extend through Election Day, Nov. 8, 2022.
- Allow voters in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota counties to request by phone that their vote-by-mail ballot be mailed to an address other than their address on record. However, voters must still provide an appropriate form of identification in the same manner as absent uniform service and overseas voters.
- Designate and provide notice of the locations for secure ballot intake stations and relocate and consolidate polling locations as necessary.
- Increase the pool of eligible poll workers who may serve in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota counties by making eligible any poll workers previously trained for the 2020 election cycle and thereafter and by encouraging state employees to serve as poll workers in those counties.
In addition, DeSantis has directed all state agencies to render aid and assistance as needed by the supervisors of elections in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota counties.
STORM SURGE EXPERTS ASSESS DAMAGE IN FLORIDA TO HELP PREPARE FOR FUTURE THREATS
Florida man rides out Hurricane Ian in his boat
Ron Latta rode out the fury of Hurricane Ian in his boat.
Byrd and the Division of Elections leadership conducted continuous outreach and assessed the needs and readiness of counties in or around Hurricane Ian's path, including: Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, DeSoto, Dixie, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Taylor and Volusia counties.
Byrd also visited the hardest-hit areas, including Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Lee, Hardee and Sarasota counties, to meet with their elections supervisors in person.
Byrd also participated in discussions with the Florida Supervisor roof Elections, which is a nonprofit association representing the supervisors of elections from all of Florida's 67 counties.
According to the news release, several supervisors of elections publicly addressed their readiness and stated that Ian's impacts will not interfere with their duties.
"In the wake of Hurricane Ian, the Florida Department of State has worked with Florida's Supervisors of Elections and Governor DeSantis to ensure that the 2022 General Election is administered as efficiently and securely as possible across the state and in the counties that received the heaviest damage," Byrd said in a news release. "Florida will continue to lead the way in elections administration in 2022, and I am grateful for and confident that our local elections officials will have all of the resources and support they need to run another successful election."
HURRICANES IAN, FIONA BECOME MOST RECENT BILLION-DOLLAR WEATHER DISASTERS TO STRIKE US
Hurricane Ian becomes 15th billion-dollar disaster of 2022
NOAA has designated Hurricane Ian as the 15th billion-dollar disaster of 2022.
Obstacles have been reported by the supervisors of elections in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota counties in the wake of Hurricane Ian.
Those include damage to polling locations and early voting sites, extended utility and telecommunication service disruptions, poll worker unavailability and displaced voters.
However, supervisors have not reported any damage to voting machines, and all election-related equipment, including ballots, are secure.
The supervisors of elections in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota counties will be required to notify the Department of State and the public of any actions they take under the executive order.