As the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states take stock of the damage from Hurricane Sandy, election officials, political professionals, and, most important, voters are also taking stock of how the storm has affected early voting ahead of the Nov. 6 election. Below are snapshots of how the storm has affected early voting based on information from the Atlas Project, an organization that tracks election information for progressive causes, unless otherwise noted.
Connecticut: Gov. Dannel Malloy signed an executive order on Sunday extending the voter-registration deadline to 8 p.m. on Thursday. The original deadline was Tuesday.
Delaware: The state's registration deadline was Oct. 13, and the state does not offer early in-person voting or no-excuse absentee voting, so no changes to voting in the state have been announced.
Florida: The storm had no effect on early voting.
Georgia: The storm had no effect on early voting.
Maine: There are no changes to voting procedures due to the storm.
Maryland: Gov. Martin O'Malley had issued two executive orders cancelling early voting on Monday and Tuesday, with early voting expected to resume early on Wednesday morning. Early voting, which began on Oct. 27, will also be extended to Friday, and the hours for voting each day have been extended to run from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m.
Massachusetts: There's no change to voting procedures; the state does not offer early in-person voting or no-excuse vote-by-mail.
New Hampshire: There are no changes to voting procedures; the state does not offer early in-person voting or no-excuse vote-by-mail.
New Jersey: Mail-in ballot applications are due on Tuesday, but there no word about whether that deadline will be extended, according to the New Jersey Department of State's website. The deadline to return mail-in ballots is 3 p.m. on Nov. 5, the day before the election. The state does not allow early in-person voting.
New York: The state doesn't allow early in-person voting, and the deadlines to register to vote or request an absentee ballot have already passed. Election Day polling locations, however, may change.
North Carolina: Early voting in some counties was cancelled over the weekend. Early voting in Buxton at the Fessenden Center, however, was cancelled on Tuesday due to flooding, and the county elections office in Burnsville plans to close on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Ohio: Although the state allows in-person early voting and no-excuse voting by mail, the storm has had no effect on voting.
Pennsylvania: The state doesn't allow in-person early voting or no-excuse voting by mail; the storm has had no effect.
Rhode Island: The state doesn't allow in-person early voting or no-excuse voting by mail; the storm has had no effect.
South Carolina: The state doesn't allow in-person early voting or no-excuse voting by mail; the storm has had no effect.
Washington, D.C.: Although early voting began in the District on Oct. 22, according to the D.C. Board of Elections website, it was suspended on Monday and cancelled on Tuesday due to the storm. As of early Tuesday afternoon, no decision has been made on whether or not early voting will resume on Wednesday, according to the website.
West Virginia: Early voting in the counties of Braxton, Jefferson, Morgan, Nicholas, Preston, and Randolph was suspended for Tuesday only. Early voting is continuing in all other counties on Tuesday, and in all counties through Nov. 3.
Virginia: Although 21 voter offices, mostly in the northern part of the state, were closed on Monday, all but nine were open on Tuesday. The nine include those in the counties of Accomack, Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Tazewell, and Wise, and the cities of Falls Church and Norton. Absentee ballots were supposed to be returned by mail on Tuesday, but some of the affected voter offices will still accept ballots after the deadline, once the offices open and mail resumes.
Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox. Sign up for National Journal's morning alert, Wake-Up Call, and afternoon newsletter, The Edge. Subscribe here.
Leave A Comment