Milton aftermath: What to know about mail-in, early voting after back-to-back hurricanes

Changes to early voting after hurricanes

Evyn Moon reports

TAMPA, Fla. - More than 15,000 people voted just in Hillsborough County on the first day of early voting on Monday, with tens of thousands more across the Tampa Bay area. Many are voting early to get it done, but some things have changed after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

"I just want to be done with it! I'm excited for this election, I just wanted to come and participate in my country and be part of my country, so I don’t have to worry about it," said one voter about coming early.

"We always do early voting, but this year with the hurricane season and the way storms came up so fast, I didn’t want anything to jeopardize my chance to vote. If you can, why not come out early?" said one couple at a Tampa Bay area polling place.

READ: Tampa Bay area crews working around the clock to haul debris from Hurricanes Helene, Milton

Julie Marcus, Pinellas County's supervisor of elections, said the count saw thousands of early voters on Monday.

"It’s just been outstanding. I'm just so amazed at the resilience of Pinellas County voters who have gone through two major hurricanes," she said.

The state made some changes to ensure that if you were impacted by Hurricanes Milton or Helene, you still have every opportunity to vote. That includes making it easier to change your address for a mail-in ballot, or to request another if it’s been waterlogged.

And, it's easier for counties to change polling locations if sites were damaged.

MORE: ‘The Sunset Post’ in South Tampa looking to rebuild after back-to-back hurricanes

"What I'm worried about is people that have gotten relocated because of the storms," said Hillsborough County's Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer. "And if any of them have been relocated than hear this, they need to call our office, so we can try and work with them to get them a vote by mail ballot."

"I think the biggest thing that we want folks to know is that we're here to help. That we know that voters have been displaced. They've lost their homes, their cars, and we just want to make sure they have the information that they need," said Marcus.

If you haven’t received your mail-in ballot by now – they said you need to call. But, early voting continues until November 3. If you have questions concerning your mail-in ballot or the new early voting locations in Pinellas or Hillsborough counties, these are the numbers to call:

Hillsborough County: 813-744-5900
Pinellas County: 727-464-VOTE (8683)

The last day to request a mail-in ballot is this Thursday, October 24. Until then, you can request a new one if yours was lost in hurricane chaos or change addresses. Even if you requested a mail-in ballot, you can still vote in person instead.

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