Voting Rights Advocates Push for Extension of Florida Registration Deadline Amid Hurricane Impact

October 10 :
In light of the potential delays caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, voting rights organizations have petitioned a federal court to grant a continuance to the Florida voter registration deadline in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election on November 5. The Florida League of Women Voters and the state NAACP chapter sued Governor Ron DeSantis in federal court in Tallahassee on October 8. The groups said that DeSantis turned down their request for a 10-day deadline extension last week.

An quick response from DeSantis's office was unavailable. On Wednesday, as Hurricane Milton continued to hammer the west coast of Florida with rain and wind, millions of people were ordered to evacuate. The storm is predicted to make landfall barely two weeks after Hurricane Helene caused widespread devastation.

The rights organizations said that the state's emergency measures rendered voter registration impossible for prospective voters. "Tens of thousands of Florida residents - forced to choose between safety and exercising their fundamental right - have been denied the opportunity to register to vote," according to the groups.

Republican contender for president in 2024 and former US president Donald Trump has DeSantis as an ally. In the states that will decide the outcome of the Electoral College, which is determined by each state separately, polls have revealed that Trump and Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris are neck and neck in the battleground states.

Among the 270 electoral votes required to win, 30 come from Florida, the third most populous state in the United States. This is a huge advantage. Although the state has a long history of being a battleground, it has recently moved to the right.