Common Cause Florida Calls on Governor Scott to Extend Voter Registration Deadline in Wake of Hurricane Matthew

Common Cause Florida is urging Governor Rick Scott to reconsider his refusal to extend the voter registration application process beyond next Tuesday’s deadline in the wake of Hurricane Matthew. Traditionally large numbers of Floridians register to vote in the final days before the deadline but for hundreds of thousands who evacuated their homes at the Governor’s urging, this was not an option. While the Governor could not redirect the hurricane, he can extend the date for voter registration as Governor Nikki Haley in South Carolina has done.

“It would be a gross injustice if Governor Scott allows tens of thousands of Florida residents to be disenfranchised by this natural disaster,” said Liza McClenaghan, Common Cause Florida State Chair. “Many Floridians have lost enough already to this storm and it would be tragic if the Governor compounds their suffering by stripping them of their right to vote in the upcoming election. We urge Governor Scott in the strongest possible terms to reconsider this misguided decision.”

To aid those potential voters temporarily displaced by Hurricane Matthew, Common Cause Florida wants to make sure that they know they can still register by taking advantage of the features of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which mandated that states provide broader access to voter registration through other agencies.

By Tuesday, October 11, voter applicants can register with another Supervisor of Elections or at a Public Library (county or municipal) in another county. They should use the address of legal residence when doing so. If the voter registration application is mailed, it must be postmarked by Tuesday, October 11, 2016.

Here is a list of Supervisors of Elections contact information: http://tinyurl.com/hcp62fw

Here is a list of Florida Public Library Systems: http://tinyurl.com/hgoac66

In addition, these Voter Registration Agencies in Florida can provide and accept voter registration applications from any applicant no matter what county they reside in by the deadline of Tuesday, October 11, 2016.

Offices that provide public assistance:

• Department of Health’s Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
•  Department of Children and Families (SNAP), TANF etc.

Offices that provide state funded programs for persons with disabilities:

• Agency for Persons with Disabilities
• Department of Veteran’s Affairs
• Department of Education (Division of Blind Services & Division of Vocational Rehabilitation)
• Department of Financial Services (Division of Workers’ Compensation)
• Disability Offices at public colleges and universities
• Armed Forces Recruitment Offices
• Centers for Independent Living

We hope that the Governor can provide direction to the receiving Supervisors of Elections, Public Libraries and Voter Registration Agencies to reach out to these individuals and provide the same service they have provided to their own residents.

We look forward to prominent information about any changes in early voting and Election Day polling places that may have been damaged by the storm and information about Vote-By-Mail ballots that need to be replaced because of damage or loss. Access to the election process is important to all Floridians.