Elections supervisor inspecting polling sites damaged by Helene

The Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Office is inspecting several designated polling places on barrier islands Friday to determine if they will be able to be operational by Election Day, officials said.

Paul Donnelly, director of communications and voter outreach, says his office has been in contact or visited with all 84 election day polling locations and the 10 early voting sites to determine if any sustained damage would prevent them from being a site for the election.

So far, "most of the sites escaped without any significant damage," Donnelly said via email. "A few sites on the keys, however, did sustain damage that we are investigating further. We have a team looking at those sites today."

On Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered relaxation of rules and suspending deadlines on moving polling places and early voting sites in 13 counties affected by Hurricane Helene, including Sarasota and Manatee counties. 

"Our goal is to always keep any emergency move as close to the original site as possible," Donnelly said. "We have contingencies in place should a move be necessary. Since we still have several weeks before the election, mailed notices would go to all affected voters along with website, social media and earned media announcements should changes occur."

DeSantis also approved allowing mail-in ballots to be mailed to addresses other than a voters' official address, to allow for people displaced by the storm to get their ballots. Donnelly said he did not expect mail delivery to be a major issue. 

"USPS has confirmed that the Longboat Key Post Office has resumed normal operations," he said, adding the U.S Post Office had told them that vote-by-mail ballots are being delivered where possible in the affected areas. "Ballots that cannot be delivered are being held at the local post office for residents to pick up."

Voters affected by Hurricane Helene who are concerned about receiving their vote-by-mail ballot, as well as voting early or on Election Day, to contact the elections office at 941-861-8618.