Jessica Rendon spent hours trying to cast her ballot in Port St. Lucie after flooding left highways waterlogged and polling locations closed. Her experience came as wdbj7 weather disruptions forced election officials to move polling places across Florida, Oklahoma and parts of the Four Corners on Election Day.
At least 21 polling locations were moved across eight Florida counties after intense rain brought flash floods Monday and into Tuesday morning. The counties were Brevard, Broward, Highlands, Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach and St. Lucie, and roads were impassable in several parts of Florida's Atlantic coast after a storm dumped as much as 22 inches of rain in 24 hours.
Florida county moves
The relocations affected voters already trying to reach polling sites while travel was difficult. In Florida, a flood watch remained in effect in some areas while rainfall rates were slowing, leaving election officials to keep moving polling places as conditions shifted.
Rendon said she learned that her polling location had changed from another resident who was also out trying to vote. She said, "I personally did not see one officer out in public helping any of us out," and added, "Voting or not voting."
Oklahoma and Four Corners
In Oklahoma, a tornado Sunday forced Cimarron County officials to change one polling location. County election officials said the tornado caused considerable structural damage to the Keyes Community Center and rendered the polling location unsafe after peak winds of about 100 mph snapped tree branches, damaged the roof and collapsed a wall.
After historic flooding in the Four Corners region, Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre M. Henderson declared a state of emergency and allowed voters registered in San Juan County who were isolated by floodwaters to request and return ballots electronically. The Colorado secretary of state allowed a similar measure for voters in La Plata and Archuleta counties.
Weather and turnout
Severe storms were also moving across Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas overnight, with a tornado watch lasting until about 2:45 a.m. local time Tuesday. Forecasters later predicted possible flash flooding in parts of Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi on Tuesday.
Brad Gomez said his research on elections from 1948 to 2000 found that for every inch of rain a county received above its average amount of rainfall, voter turnout went down about eight-tenths of 1 percentage point. Rendon said, "Unfortunately, many by me are still stuck in their homes," and "Frankly, I don’t think a lot can vote because of this."
The immediate problem for voters is access, not just weather. Polling places moved, roads were impassable and some flood-isolated voters had to rely on electronic ballot options or find a new site while conditions were changing around them.
