Clinton Campaign: Extend FL Voter Registration Due to Hurricane Matthew

Robby Mook, the campaign manager for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, demanded that Florida officials extend the state’s voter registration deadline past Tuesday due to disruptions caused by Hurricane Matthew.

Mook made his comments on a conference call with reporters, according to Politico, and explained that the Clinton campaign expected to win the state through early voting — unless the hurricane disrupted voter registration in the last few days before the Oct. 11 deadline.

Politico elaborates:

Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Mook said Gov. Rick Scott and others should move the deadline past Tuesday so voters in the critical battleground state could register to participate in November’s election in time while also staying safe as the storm that has already killed more than 100 in Haiti bears down.
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The request came as Mook was explaining the importance of early voting, particularly in Florida, to Clinton’s White House bid.

Storms have played a role in previous elections. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy made landfall in New Jersey a week before Election Day. Voting procedures were affected in New Jersey and New York; more importantly, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie praised President Barack Obama’s response to the storm, and embraced him on a special presidential visit to the state. Ironically, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo had declined a presidential visit out of concern that it would be too disruptive.

The presidential candidates have been neck-and-neck in Florida polls over the past several weeks. The infamous 2000 recount made clear how close the partisan balance is in a state that has 29 electoral votes, tied with New York for the third-highest of any state.

Mook’s request for an extension to fit the Clinton campaign’s plans recalls then-Vice President Al Gore’s request for a partial recount of Florida votes in 2000, focusing only on counties where Democrats were strongest.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. His new book, See No Evil: 19 Hard Truths the Left Can’t Handle, is available from Regnery through Amazon. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.