Florida Flooding Prompts Governor's Executive Order 26-227 and Election Day Polling-Place Moves in Seven Counties

Florida’s governor signed Executive Order 26-227 on Monday after heavy rain from Oct. 31 through Nov. 2, according to Fox News. The Florida Department of State’s Division of Elections home page says the order was issued so residents of affected counties can still vote. Fox reports the order declared a state of emergency in Brevard, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties and lets county election supervisors who cannot meet certain polling-place requirements seek the secretary of state’s approval for alternative voting arrangements.

Fox reports the Department of State confirmed polling-place changes in Brevard, Highlands, Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties. The county lists differ: DeSoto and Hardee are in the emergency declaration but not in the polling-place list Fox read, and Okeechobee and Palm Beach are the reverse. The state cautioned that relocations remain subject to change.

In Brevard, Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic said in a memo that “it is necessary to relocate a couple of precinct polling locations due to these unprecedented circumstances,” per Central Florida Public Media, which lists the affected precincts and their new sites. The Florida Department of State page listing the temporary locations and the order text itself were not read.