A Republican Governoir that has erected all sorts of walls against more voting in his state now has dropped them in Hussicane area’s (Republican leaning) that has people worried about just getting thru day by day…
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis used his emergency powers on Thursday to waive state election laws for counties hard hit by Hurricane Ian that are grappling with widespread damages and disruptions.
DeSantis agreed to set aside state laws so election officials in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota — all of which are Republican strongholds — can consolidate polling places, extend early voting days and make it easier to send mail in ballots to voters to an address that is not listed in voting records.
The hurricane slammed into the state two weeks ago, causing catastrophic damage to some areas and leaving more than 100 people dead. The hurricane also destroyed polling places, disrupted mail delivery and forced both voters and poll workers from their homes in counties directly hit by the historic storm.
Many of the steps authorized by DeSantis mirror those that were taken in Florida’s Panhandle in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in 2018. But they could draw additional scrutiny from those who have made baseless allegations about widespread voter fraud marring the 2020 elections. Some of those who have pushed these allegations, including the conservative group Defend Florida, maintained that people who were voting didn’t live at their listed addresses.
But DeSantis — noting that some people have lost their homes and may be living with relatives — said there were still requirements for those seeking to have a ballot sent to a different address….