Florida extending early voting in counties hit by hurricane

Florida is relaxing some of its voting rules for residents living in counties hit hard by Hurricane Michael.

GOP Gov. Rick Scott’s administration announced Thursday that eight counties in Florida will have extended time periods for early voting. The counties are able to start and end early voting beyond the current deadlines, according to the Associated Press.

{mosads}Hurricane Michael hit Florida last week, leaving tens of thousands still without power.

“The Florida Department of State’s top priority is ensuring that there are ample opportunities for Floridians impacted by Hurricane Michael, many of whom lost their homes, to be able to cast ballots while protecting the integrity of the 2018 General Election,” reads a press release released Thursday from Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner.

Additionally, Florida is making it easier for people impacted by the hurricane to receive and send out their ballots by mail. Scott’s order allows people to request mail-in ballots be delivered to an address different than the one on file in the voter registration list.

Scott is running for a Senate seat against incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.). Additionally, the gubernatorial race between Democrat Andrew Gillum and Republican Ron DeSantis is gaining national attention.