High winds and dangerous conditions curtailed early voting in many places on the East Coast, as polling places were closed in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy, raising concerns the storm could affect the outcome of the presidential election. Strong winds from the historic storm are expected to reach as far west as Ohio, and Franklin County Democratic Party Chair says the storm demonstrates the value of voting early. Spokesperson Chuck Ardo:
Ardo: The concern is primarily in the eastern part of the state, but certainly there is a possibility of power outages here. And Chairman Haas is encouraging all voters to get to the polls as soon as possible, because the weather may affect their plans, and we want to insure that every voter has an opportunity to cast a ballot.
The chair is also asking Secretary of State Jon Husted to consider expanding early voting hours this weekend if power outages across the state are widespread. High winds Monday morning didn't deter voters in Franklin County from casting their ballots. Board of Elections officials say more than 800 people voted in-person before noon, despite the windy and wet conditions.
