Early voting days expanded in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota counties; residents can request vote-by-mail ballots

SARASOTA, Fla. - In an executive order issued Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced steps to ensure residents in Florida counties "severely impacted by Hurricane Ian" will have a chance to vote in the midterm election next month.

According to a news release from the governor's office, the Supervisor of Elections in 27 counties were consulted post-hurricane and Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota Counties were the most impacted when it came to voting. 

To give residents of Charlotte, Lee, and Sarasota counties an opportunity to vote, the governor issued an order to:

• Extend the number of days for early voting and designate additional early voting locations.
• The early voting period may begin as early as Monday, October 24, and can extend through Election Day, Nov. 8.
• 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 of record. 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 within 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 these counties

READ: It could take 6 months to identify people killed by Hurricane Ian

Secretary of State Cord Byrd stated. "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. 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."

According to a news release, the supervisors of elections in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota Counties have not reported any damage to voting machines and all election-related equipment, including ballots, are secure.