Election Day Flooding Moves Polling Places Across US

Severe flooding and storm damage forced polling-place changes across five states on Election Day, as election officials scrambled to keep voting open while swollen rivers and washed-out roads cut off communities. The Election Day flooding, driven by a storm that dropped months’ worth of rain on parts of the Southwest and more than 20 inches of rain on Florida’s Atlantic coast, moved at least 18 polling places in Florida alone and triggered emergency voting rules in Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Oklahoma.

The storm had already caused deadly and historic flooding in the Southwest over the weekend, forcing evacuations in at least a dozen counties across Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. By Tuesday, the system was pushing east into the central United States, bringing soaking rain to voters from the Great Plains and Upper Midwest through the Mississippi Valley to the western Gulf Coast, according to CNN Weather.

Officials stressed that most polling places remained open and that relocated sites were signposted, but the disruptions added a layer of difficulty to an already high-stakes midterm election, in which control of Congress is at stake.

Election Day Flooding on Florida: at least 18 polling places moved

Florida was hit hardest in terms of polling-place moves. Serious flooding from more than 20 inches of rain on Sunday and Monday forced election officials to move 18 polling places in the state, CNN reported, while other counts put the total at 17 across five counties: Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach. A separate account listed seven counties affected, including Highlands, Okeechobee and Palm Beach, under an emergency order signed by Governor Ron DeSantis.

In Brevard County, Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic announced on Monday evening that eight precincts in Melbourne and Palm Bay had moved because of extreme flooding, under the state’s fall-flooding emergency order, Executive Order 26-227. Precincts 307, 512 and 525, which voted at Max K. Rodes Park Community Center, and Precinct 309, from the Veterans Memorial Complex, moved to New Shiloh Christian Center, 3900 Sarno Road, Melbourne. Election Day Flooding

In Martin County, voters assigned to Grace Presbyterian Church in Stuart were redirected to the Martin County Supervisor of Elections Office, 135 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Stuart, according to the Florida Department of State. Governor DeSantis declared a state of emergency in seven counties along the Atlantic coast. Parts of southeast Florida remained at a Level 2 of 4 risk of flash flooding on Tuesday.

Election Day Flooding: Colorado, Utah and Arizona: emergency voting rules

In Colorado, a voting centre and ballot drop box in Pagosa Springs were relocated because of flooding, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s office. The Ross Aragon Community Center voter centre and the Pagosa Springs Town Hall ballot drop box closed because of flood risk, with voters directed to the Archuleta County Courthouse voter centre, the joint La Plata–Archuleta voter centre at Pine River Library in Bayfield, or a staffed mobile drop box in Pagosa Springs. Evacuations were ordered along the San Juan River in Pagosa Springs as the river surged to its second-highest level on record, and mandatory evacuations were also issued along the Rio Grande in South Fork, Del Norte and Monte Vista. Election Day Flooding

In Utah, Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson issued an emergency election order on Monday allowing San Juan County voters who cannot reasonably travel to a polling place or drop box on Election Day to request and return their ballots electronically. Colorado introduced a similar arrangement for voters in La Plata and Archuleta counties, allowing flood-affected voters to request a replacement ballot at any voter centre in the state. Election Day Flooding

In Arizona, two Maricopa County vote centres, at Paradise Valley Community College and Sunset Canyon School, lost power on Monday morning and later reopened, according to county Elections Director Scott Jarrett. Poll workers stayed on site during the outage, and voters could still drop off ballots. Governor Katie Hobbs declared a statewide emergency on Monday, after earlier declarations for Navajo and Coconino counties. In Flagstaff, a 73-year-old man was found dead early Monday after reportedly falling into floodwater on Sunday evening, according to the Flagstaff Police Department.

Election Day Flooding: Oklahoma: tornado damage moves a polling place

In Oklahoma, storm damage on Sunday night forced a polling-place change in Cimarron County, State Election Board spokesperson Misha Mohr said. A tornado with peak winds of about 100 mph collapsed a wall at the Keyes Community Center, so that polling spot moved, with signs directing voters at the changed site. Oklahoma polls were open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day. Election Day Flooding

• Florida: at least 18 polling places moved after more than 20 inches of rain.
• Colorado: Pagosa Springs voting centre and drop box relocated; evacuations along the San Juan River.
• Utah: San Juan County voters cut off by floodwater may vote electronically under an emergency order.
• Arizona: two Maricopa County vote centres lost power, then reopened; statewide emergency declared.
• Oklahoma: a tornado damaged the Keyes Community Center, moving its polling place.

What voters in affected areas should do: Election Day Flooding

Election officials urged voters in flood-affected areas to check their state or county election office website before travelling, since emergency changes are being posted there and signposted at original sites. Voters who are in line when polls close are still entitled to vote, and in Colorado, flood-affected voters who go to a centre outside their home county may be limited to statewide races only.

The Election Day impact in the central US was expected to be less severe than the weekend flooding, with ponding on roads the main risk, although the lower Mississippi River Valley could see scattered flash flooding.

Only about a third of American voters vote on Election Day itself, with most others voting early or by mail, which limits the number of people affected by Election Day weather, experts noted. But for those who do vote in person, especially in the hardest-hit counties, the advice was simple: check the new location, allow extra travel time, and do not assume the usual polling place is open.