The left has suddenly changed its tune on mail-in voting now that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order expanding ballot access to residents of three counties heavily impacted by Hurricane Ian.
“At the request of the Supervisors of Elections in Charlotte, Lee, and Sarasota counties, and at the recommendation of Secretary of State Cord Byrd, the Governor signed Executive Order 22-234, which will help ensure adequate access to Florida’s 2022 General Election ballot for the voters of Charlotte, Lee, and Sarasota counties,” the governor’s office announced last week.
Early voting will be extended to residents of these counties from Oct. 24 through Nov. 8, and more early voting locations will be designated. Given that countless homes were destroyed by the storm, displaced voters in these counties can also request that their mail-in ballot be mailed to a location other than their listed residence, though an appropriate form of ID will still be required.
“In the wake of Hurricane Ian, the Florida Department of State has worked with Florida’s Supervisors of Elections and Governor DeSantis to ensure that the 2022 General Election is administered as efficiently and securely as possible across the state and in the counties that received the heaviest damage,” said Byrd. “Florida will continue to lead the way in elections administration in 2022, and I am grateful for and confident that our local elections officials will have all of the resources and support they need to run another successful election.”
But liberal media accused the governor of politicizing the expanded access.
It should surprise no one that @RonDeSantisFL, after failing the people of Lee and neighboring counties by not pushing for an evacuation in time to save their lives & homes from hurricane Ian is now piecing through the map, making post-disaster voting easier ONLY for Republicans. https://t.co/FOsaaPAvnC
— Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid 😷 (@JoyAnnReid) October 15, 2022
Governor DeSantis makes it easier to vote in three Republican stronghold counties hit by Hurricane Ian but not in the one county that favors Democrats. https://t.co/b05UHAu2ou
— Jim DeFede (@DeFede) October 14, 2022
“Governor Ron DeSantis has made voting easier in certain Florida counties battered by Hurricane Ian – but only Republican-leaning ones.” https://t.co/QJKPTTRaLD
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) October 15, 2022
Conservatives, including DeSantis reelection campaign rapid response director, Christina Pushaw, pushed back on the accusations.
Seeing as precincts were literally destroyed in SWFL this makes sense. I just want to know who else in FL cannot vote and wants to. Here in Blue Leon County it is very straightforward to get a mail in ballot or vote in person on any early voting day.
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) October 17, 2022
Exactly. The buildings were literally destroyed. Multiple blocks were destroyed. These idiots know that but need to create drama anyway.
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) October 17, 2022
Mail in voting has worked in FL for many years, the key is to enact common sense verification requirements and not just send out ballots to every address indiscriminately. Clean the voter rolls and just send a ballot to a verified voter upon request https://t.co/h4v9ftOmiy
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) October 17, 2022