Pinellas Supervisor of Elections asks state for voting flexibility after Hurricane Helene

Pinellas’ elections supervisor is asking the state to give her office more flexibility to administer the upcoming elections as the county works to rebuild from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.

In a Saturday email to Secretary of State Cord Byrd and Division of Elections Director Maria Matthews, Pinellas Supervisor of Elections Julie Marcus wrote that as many as 40 polling places in the county may have suffered “significant damage and required relocation.”

Marcus said her office is still assessing how early voting locations and absentee ballot drop-off sites fared.

She asked the state to issue an executive order giving the district flexibility similar to what she said the state provided after Hurricane Ian in 2022. This includes the authority to move or consolidate polling places less than 30 days before an election and the ability to create additional early voting sites and extending early voting days, including until the election Day. She also asked the state to adjust its rules on where absentee ballots can be delivered and allow absentee ballots to be sent to addresses other than the one the voter has on file.

She also asked that the OK U.S. Postal Service mail absentee ballots to voters who are not at the location listed on their voter records, provided they provide identifying information.

“These measures are necessary to provide me with the flexibility needed to accommodate affected voters and ensure that all Pinellas County residents have an equal opportunity to exercise their right to vote despite the challenges presented by the hurricane,” Marcus wrote in her email. She added that her office will not delay sending absentee ballots to voters who have requested them.

Dustin Chase, a spokesman for the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections’ office, said the office is working to provide voters with the information they need when they need it, and most importantly remind people about absentee ballots and the upcoming voter registration deadline scheduled for Oct. 7. Then they will be able to focus on notifying citizens about possible changes at polling stations, he added.

“We will do everything the governor allows to help people vote,” Chase said.

Pinellas may not be the only county competing for the position flexibility in conducting the upcoming elections in the face of the damage caused by Hurricane Helene.

Travis Hart, chairman of the Florida Supervisory Board of Elections, said they have heard from counties across the West Coast about possible lost polling places. He said the group was wondering what needs of various counties as the association prepares to request an executive order from the governor’s office.

Mark Ard, a spokesman for the Florida Department of State, said the department has contacted supervisors in the affected areas. He said the department also contacted the U.S. Postal Service over concerns about mailing ballots.

“The Florida Department of State will continue to communicate with supervisors throughout this period as their needs evolve,” Ard said in an email.

In Charlotte County, an election office flooded and an elevator broke down, so officials moved the early voting site to a nearby event center.

In Lee County, which suffered major damage from Hurricane Ian in 2022, Election Commissioner Tommy Doyle said his office continues to assess sites for damage but is also focused on helping other counties, including a possible sending printers to Pinellas. The Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections office also said it was continuing to assess the sites for possible damage, as did the Manatee County elections offices and the Sarasota County elections offices.

In Pasco County, at least two polling places, the Sea Ranch Civic Association and the Sea Pines Civic Association, sustained too much damage to be used in November, it said Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley. Two other locations are also being assessed to determine whether the level of damage will require the use of a new location.

Corley said he supported Marcus’ request. He said his office has not yet reached the point where he knows whether he needs a similar request, but said he would like to see “any tools in our toolbox” to help run the election successfully.

“It’s definitely a challenge under normal circumstances, let alone this one very carefully analyzed and polarized elections,” he said.

During a press conference before Hurricane Helene, Gov. Ron DeSantis said it was too early to say whether the state would need to make any adjustments before the election, but expressed “confidence that we’ll be able to figure this out.” He added: “You will be able to vote, it will not be a problem.”

In 2022, DeSantis issued an executive order giving the three counties hardest hit by Hurricane Ian more flexibility. He issued this order about two weeks after the storm made landfall.

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