Flash floods, heavy rain and tornadoes forced election officials in three different parts of the United States to move polling places, scrambling Election Day plans in hot races.
At least 18 polling places were relocated in seven Florida counties – including Brevard, Highlands, Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties – after intense rains caused flash flooding Monday and Tuesday morning.
Roads were impassable in several parts of the state’s Atlantic coast after a storm dumped up to 22 inches of rain in 24 hours in a storm that “exceeded everyone’s expectations,” as one forecaster put it.
Severe storms were moving through Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas overnight. Forecasters issued a tornado watch that lasted until about 2:45 a.m. local time Tuesday.
The forecasters were also forecasting possible flash flooding in parts of Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi on Tuesday, as this storm system continued to travel east. A flood watch remained in effect in parts of Florida, even as precipitation rates slowed.
“Areas affected by catastrophic flooding remain extremely sensitive to any additional rain,” forecasters wrote in a discussion Tuesday morning.
In Oklahoma, a tornado forced Cimarron County officials to modify one of its polling places on Sunday. The tornado, which had peak winds of about 100 mph, snapped tree branches, damaged the roof of the Keyes Community Center and collapsed a wall, according to a National Weather Service damage survey report.
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In an emergency request, county election officials said the tornado caused “considerable structural damage” to the community center “making the polling location unsafe.”
And after historic flooding in the Four Corners area, Utah Lieutenant Governor Deidre M. Henderson declared a state of emergency and issued a special accommodation that will allow registered voters in San Juan County who are isolated by floodwaters to request and return their ballots electronically.
Colorado’s secretary of state is authorizing a similar measure for voters — allowing online voting — in La Plata and Archuleta counties, according to 9 News.
Other surprises could arise on Election Day.
Experts say bad weather dampened voter turnout in previous elections. In surveys of elections from 1948 to 2000, researchers observed a slight drop in turnout during unusually intense storms.
“What we found was that for every inch of rain a county received above its average amount, voter turnout fell by about eight-tenths of a percentage point,” said Brad Gomez, associate professor of political science at Florida State University.
But experts said rain’s effect on turnout diminishes over time, as more people choose to vote early or by mail, and they said it’s difficult to predict what effect, if any, bad weather would have on key races.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in seven counties along the Atlantic coast that are being hit by flash flooding and extreme rainfall.
Damage in parts of Colorado remains widespread after heavy rain and flooding, with first responders searching for people who may be stranded in the area, including by helicopter.
People with homes along the Animas River in southwest Colorado were also at risk of evacuation.
Record rainfall was also reported in usually dry Arizona, causing life-threatening flooding and power outages.
The brief closure of two voting centers in Maricopa County sparked a chorus of conspiratorial insinuations online on Monday. Two of the county’s 254 polling stations had to be temporarily closed “due to power issues,” election officials announced on social media.
Both polling stations have since been reopened, authorities said, but some internet users took advantage of the closure to allege irregularities in the competitive transition state.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs issued a statewide emergency declaration Monday after recently issuing an emergency for Navajo and Coconino counties. The governors of New Mexico and Colorado also asked President Donald Trump to declare a major disaster in order to receive federal financial aid.
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