Record Rainfall in Florida Leads to Polling Place Changes on Election Day

After months of intense speculation, Election Day in America is finally here. Unfortunately for some voters, Mother Nature is making it a little bit harder to reach their polling location. Here is a look at what parts of the U.S. are dealing with poll closures and travel disruptions at the hands of the weather.

Flooding Forces Changes in Voting Locations in Parts of Florida

Some portions of South and Central Florida are grappling with polling disruptions as a result of an intense few days of rain. Three-day rain totals have eclipsed the one-year average in some parts of the state. Some of the top readings include Malabar with 28.93 inches, Palm Bay with 28.13 inches, and Berner Beach with 26.44 inches.

The heavy rain in recent days has caused flooded roadways and damage to infrastructure, impacting some of the peninsula's polling locations. The Florida Division of Elections confirmed changes to polling locations in Brevard, Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, and St. Lucie counties. 

Voters are being instructed to check with their county supervisor of elections for the most up-to-date location information before heading out. For example, officials in Palm Beach moved voting from the Casa Rio Clubhouse in Riviera Beach to RB Preparatory and Achievement Academy. Voters scheduled to cast their ballots at Ironhorse Country Club are being relocated to the North County Senior Center in Palm Beach Gardens.

Local officials confirmed that impacted voters are being notified of changes by email and text. Signs have also been posted at polling locations to direct voters to the appropriate facility.

The inclement conditions are doing more than just impacting voting. Several public school districts were closed on Tuesday due to flooding concerns. These include closures in Brevard, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Indian River, Martin, and Okeechobee counties. Schools in DeSoto will be closed through at least Wednesday.

The latest forecast models are calling for rain showers and thunderstorms to ease through the middle of the week in Florida. However, it will take time for the water to recede, meaning that the flooding will persist for a few more days. Many buildings that have been flooded will also have to remain closed pending inspection.

Flooding in the Southwest Prompts Voting Changes

Florida is not the only part of the country dealing with weather issues on Election Day. The southwestern corner of the U.S. has also been under the target of repeated rounds of tropical moisture over the last week. An atmospheric river dumped more than 6 inches of rain on portions of Arizona in recent days.

There were at least 10 flood gauges in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico that were reporting record heights by Monday morning. All of this rain and the resulting flooding have impacted roadways that voters need to use to reach polling locations.

The Arizona Secretary of State’s office is warning residents that flooding is affecting roads leading into some polling locations in Apache, Coconino, and Navajo counties. The secretary of state has posted emergency voting information for residents in the impacted communities.

For instance, flooding forced the closure of State Route 89A between Sedona and Kachina Village. Officials in Flagstaff said that their voting locations are expected to operate normally on Tuesday despite Monday's flood response.  

Flagstaff has been hit particularly hard by the wave of moisture. A man was found unresponsive in a storm drainage area on Monday in Flagstaff. The local police department said that "Preliminary findings suggest the death may be weather-related." Flagstaff police also responded to a reported drowning on Sunday when a man fell into roaring water near South Malpais Lane and West Clay Avenue.

Moving to the north, flooding prompted the closure of the Ross Aragon Community Center voter center and the Town Hall ballot drop box in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Voters were instructed to go to the Archuleta County Courthouse at 109 Harmon Park Drive to cast their vote.

Elsewhere in the Four Corners region, Utah, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson issued emergency election accommodations in San Juan County for voters impacted by the flooding. These eligible voters can now return their ballots electronically if they cannot safely travel to a polling location or drop box.

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