Flash flooding, heavy rainfall and tornadoes have forced election officials in three different regions across the United States to move polling locations, scrambling Election Day plans in hot-button races.
asserted
flooding → force → races
At least seventeen polling locations were moved in five Florida counties — including Brevard County, Indian River County, St. Lucie County, Martin County and Palm Beach County — after intense rainfall caused flash floods on Monday and into Tuesday morning.
asserted
rainfall → move → morning
Roads were impassable in several parts of the state’s Atlantic coast after a storm dumped as much as 22 inches of rain in 24 hours in a storm that “exceeded everyone’s expectations,” as one forecaster put it.
asserted
forecaster → dump → it
Severe storms were moving across Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas overnight on Tuesday.
asserted
storms → move → Tuesday
Forecasters issued a tornado watch that lasted until about 2:45 a.m. local time on Tuesday.
asserted
that → issue → Tuesday
Forecasters were also predicting possible flash flooding in parts of Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi on Tuesday, as that storm system continued to travel east.
asserted
system → predict → Tuesday
A flood watch remained in effect in some parts of Florida, though rainfall rates were slowing.
asserted
rates → remain → Florida
“Areas affected by catastrophic flooding remain extremely sensitive to any additional rainfall,” forecasters wrote in a Tuesday morning forecast discussion.
asserted
forecasters → affect → discussion
In Oklahoma, a tornado on Sunday forced Cimarron County officials to change one of its polling locations.
asserted
tornado → force → locations
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 damage survey report from the National Weather Service.
uncertain
which → have → Service
In an emergency request, county election officials said the tornado caused “considerable structural damage” to the community center “rendering the polling location unsafe.”
asserted
location → say → center
And after historic flooding in the Four Corners region, Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre M. Henderson declared a state of emergency and issued a special accommodation that will allow voters registered in San Juan County who are isolated by floodwaters to request and return ballots electronically.
asserted
who → declare → ballots
The Colorado Secretary of State is allowing a similar measure for voters — allowing votes online — in La Plata and Archuleta counties, according to 9 News.
uncertain
Secretary → allow → News
Experts say inclement weather has suppressed voter turnout in past elections.
asserted
weather → say → elections
In research of elections from 1948 to 2000, researchers observed a modest drop in turnout during unusually intense rain storms.
asserted
researchers → observe → storms
“What we found was that for every inch of rain that a county received above its average amount of rainfall, voter turnout went down about eight-tenths of 1 percentage point,” said Brad Gomez, an associate professor of political science at Florida State University.
asserted
Gomez → find → University
But experts said the effect of rain on turnout is diminishing over time as more people choose to vote early or vote by mail, and they said it’s hard to predict what effect the inclement weather will have, if any, on key races.
asserted
weather → say → races
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in seven counties along the Atlantic seaboard that are being hit with flash flooding and extreme precipitation.
asserted
that → declare → flooding
Damage in parts of Colorado remains widespread after heavy rain and flooding, with first responders searching for people who may be stranded across the area, including by helicopter.
uncertain
who → remain → helicopter
People with homes along the Animas River in southwestern Colorado were also facing evacuation.
asserted
People → face → evacuation
Record rainfall was also reported in usually dry Arizona, causing deadly flooding and power outages.
The brief closure of two voting centers in the state’s Maricopa County sparked a chorus of conspiracy insinuations online Monday.
asserted
closure → report → insinuations
Two out of the 254 polling locations in the county had to be temporarily shuttered “due to power related issues,” election authorities announced on social media.
asserted
authorities → have → media
The two polling locations have since been reopened, authorities said, but some online used the shutdown to allege impropriety in the competitive swing state.
asserted
some → reopen → state
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs issued a statewide emergency declaration on Monday after recently issuing an emergency for Navajo and Coconino counties.
asserted
Hobbs → issue → counties
The governors of New Mexico and Colorado also asked President Donald Trump to declare a major disaster to receive federal funding assistance.
asserted
governors → ask → assistance
Rain is also expected to hit the central U.S. as voters head to the polls there Tuesday, but experts said the impact on the election outcome is expected to be minimal.
asserted
impact → expect → outcome
The weather’s effect on voter turnout will be watched closely by campaigns seeking to draw as many supporters as possible to polling places.
asserted
effect → watch → places
The storm system will move east Tuesday, with heavy rain possible in Mississippi, Missouri and western Tennessee.
asserted
rain → move → Mississippi
On Election Day, “scattered flash floods are possible” in the lower Mississippi River valley and into areas such as Memphis, Tennessee, said Jennifer Tate, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.
asserted
Tate → say → Park
Much of the rest of the central U.S. — from East Texas to the Midwest — can expect wet, dreary weather on Election Day.
asserted
Much → expect → Day
Election Day weather on the West Coast looks mostly pleasant, with pockets of rain in Northern California.
asserted
weather → look → California
Outside of Florida, the East Coast looks clear, though some rain is expected in Maine.
asserted
rain → look → Maine
The Aporia
