Florida floods force 18+ polling sites to move on Election Day

Election officials moved at least 18 Florida polling locations across seven counties Tuesday morning after flash flooding, NBC News reported in its live blog.

The counties named: Brevard, Highlands, Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach and St. Lucie. NBC reported the storm dropped as much as 22 inches of rain in 24 hours, leaving some roads on Florida's Atlantic coast impassable.

Fox News and other outlets put the figure at 19 locations, citing the state's secretary of state office, which said the moves came about 45 minutes before polls were due to open. The counts differ slightly between outlets.

NBC also reported severe storms and a tornado watch overnight in Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas, and said weather forced officials in three regions to relocate sites, though it named no locations outside Florida.

Neither report described machine failures or court action as of this morning. Voters in affected counties should check their county supervisor of elections for the new address before heading out.

Our view: a storm is not a scandal, but relocations are exactly where confusion and lost votes happen. Counties owe voters loud, clear notice, and we will be watching whether polls in these counties get any extra time.