A nonpartisan democracy watchdog raised concerns about polling place issues in a Florida Democratic stronghold Tuesday.
“It has already been a pretty challenging morning, especially in Southeast Florida,” Amy Keith, Florida director for the group Common Cause, said.
She flagged issues in Broward County, whose largest city is Fort Lauderdale, including polling place changes due to flooding and issues with voter check-in machines.
CBS Miami reported “a technical issue” affecting voters in the county early Tuesday. It was later resolved, the report stated.
Election officials did not indicate how many voters were affected but reported that 45,000 votes had been cast in the county in the first three hours after polls opened.
Another local TV station, WPLG, reported voters waited in lines while technicians worked on an issue that prevented logging into the systems.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in seven Florida counties due to heavy rains, and at least 20 polling places have been moved throughout the state due to flooding, including in Broward.
Broward County’s elections supervisor, Joe Scott, had already encouraged voters to cast ballots early or to deliver their mail-in ballots in person due to “serious” delays from the U.S. Postal Service, The New York Times reported.
“We were working across the state to ensure that mail-in ballots were being received, helping to ensure that voters were aware of some serious USPS delays and that drop boxes were accessible,” Keith said.
Scott’s office did not respond to Raw Story’s request for comment.
Broward County includes the 20th, 23rd, 24th and 25th Congressional Districts, all represented by Democrats.
The 20th Congressional District is one of the strongest Democratic districts in the state, according to the Cook Political Report. Democrat Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is running against Republican Brent Andersen, a small business owner, for the seat left vacant after Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned amid an ethics investigation.
Voters needing to move polling places or wait in long lines sends “ripples” that discourage people from casting their ballots since “voters already don’t really understand why it’s so burdensome to be able to participate in the process,” said Adin Lenchner, a Democratic strategist.
“If polling places in Dem districts are having issues, it can be a red flag,” said Lenchner, founder and principal at political strategy firm Carroll Street Campaigns.
The Broward Democratic Party and Florida Democratic Party did not respond to Raw Story’s request for comment.
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