Devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy could affect the election outcome, particularly in swing states such as Virginia and New Hampshire, Center for Politics spokesperson Geoff Skelley said.
“If the storm really hits Virginia hard, there will probably be people who don’t vote because they are focused on repairing their homes or businesses, or dealing with some sort of problems related to storm damage,” Skelley said. “Public transportation could be hampered in urban areas, which would obviously be bad for Democrats.”
A study published in 2007 suggests voter turnout decreases by nearly 1 percent with every inch of rain that falls on Election Day. Every inch of snow above a county’s average snowfall leads to a 0.5 percent drop in turnout.
Albemarle County registrars said they have received calls from weather-concerned voters, but they think the weather will have only a minimal effect on voter turnout. “[T]he Governor has said that if the power goes out in Virginia, the polling places will have a priority as far as getting the power back up and running,” Albemarle County Deputy Registrar Lauren Eddy said.
City of Charlottesville offices will remain open for in-person absentee voting unless the Virginia Board of Elections advises otherwise, Charlottesville City General Registrar Sheri L. Iachetta said. Should weather conditions deteriorate, the office intends to talk with City officials about how to proceed.
“We’re just going to take it hour by hour,” Iachetta said. She added there is a generator in her office and voter information has been downloaded onto a fully charged laptop in preparation for potential outages.
Iachetta recalled an incident last Election Day when the polling offices in four precincts lost power. She said such incidents are not uncommon and have led to better emergency procedures — which she believes are essential in cases of severe weather. “If anything happens, I’m confident we’ll be back online quickly,” she said.
The voter registration offices in Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville are allowing registered voters to cast absentee ballots ahead of the Nov. 6 election because of severe weather conditions.
The announcement follows a recommendation Saturday from the board that registrars loosen restrictions on absentee voting requirements. With the structural damages Hurricane Sandy may have caused, the board wanted to accommodate voters who are worried they will be unable to travel to their polling places on Election Day.
Registered voters in Virginia can qualify for absentee voting for reasons ranging from student status at a non-local school to personal business or vacation. The commonwealth’s absentee ballot application does not list weather conditions as an eligibility requirement for absentee voting.
The board requires local offices to be open for in-person absentee voting for at least eight hours on each of the two Saturdays before Election Day: this year, Oct. 27 and Nov. 3. In-person absentee voting is also taking place during regular weekday business hours. The board recommended that local offices remain open for in-person voting unless conditions become unsafe for voters and office employees.
Saturday, Nov. 3 at 5 p.m. is the deadline for in-person absentee voting for the general election.
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