October 16, 2022 7:37pm EDT
Media blast DeSantis easing voter rules in areas hit hardest by Hurricane Ian because they are more Republican
Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded early voting access for counties most affected by Hurricane Ian
By Lindsay Kornick | Fox News
Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., was accused by several media outlets of politicizing voter access after he eased restrictions in the counties most heavily affected by Hurricane Ian on Thursday.
DeSantis signed an emergency executive order that expanded mail-in ballot access and early voting availability to counties that were heavily damaged by the Category 4 hurricane. According to the order, the decision primarily focused on Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota Counties after "collective feedback of the Supervisors of Elections across the state" and "at the written requests" of these counties’ election supervisors.
Although the order is set to assist tens of thousands of displaced citizens in these counties, some attacked the voter assistance by suggesting that it is politically motivated for the midterm elections.
Shortly after the announcement, Washington Post reporter Lori Rozsa wrote that the three counties in question are overwhelmingly Republican as opposed to other damaged countries outside the order.
"More than 450,000 voters in Lee, Charlotte and Sarasota are registered as Republicans, compared with 265,000 Democrats and nearly 290,000 affiliated with no party," Rozsa reported, "Overall, registered Republicans outnumber Democrats in many, but not all, of the counties damaged by the hurricane. Orange County, where Hurricane Ian passed as a Category 1 storm and left historic flooding in Orlando and surrounding areas, has 360,389 registered Democrats and 217,061 registered Republicans. It was not granted any exceptions."
The Guardian reporter Gloria Oladipo published a similar piece on Friday claiming that "anger" had erupted after DeSantis eased voting restrictions in "Republican areas."
"Governor Ron DeSantis has made voting easier in certain Florida counties battered by Hurricane Ian – but only Republican-leaning ones. DeSantis signed an executive order on Thursday that eases voting rules for about 1 million voters in Lee, Charlotte and Sarasota counties, all areas that Hurricane Ian hit hard and that all reliably vote Republican. Meanwhile, Orange County, a Democratic-leaning area which experienced historic flooding from the storm, received no voting exceptions," Oladipo wrote.
While other outlets did not highlight "criticism" against DeSantis’ order, many noted that the three counties heavily lean towards Republicans or went to Trump in 2020.
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https://www.foxnews.com/media/media-blast-desantis-easing-voter-rules-areas-hit-hardest-hurricane-ian-republican 
