Election Day Unlikely To Be Moved Because Of Hurricane Sandy

Election Day will likely remain November 6, despite a destructive storm that has cut off power to large swaths of the country and flooded several coastal areas. Election officials in these states have been scrambling to make special accommodations in order to keep Election Day the same, CNN noted.

These alternatives could include new voting places for schools or community centers that were closed for the storm or paper ballots to replace electronic voting machines that require a constant stream of power to operate.

The sheer scale of changes needed to move Election Day also make it unlikely, CNN noted. Only Congress has the power to change Election Day, and if it did so the change would affect all 50 states, not just those hit by Hurricane Sandy.

But in many states hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, Election Day isn’t a concern just yet.

“Right now I’m much more concerned about preventing any other loss of life, getting people to safe places,” said New Jersey governor Chris Christie. President Barack Obama made similar comments, which Christie echoed, “Then we’ll worry about the election. The election will take care of itself.”

Newark Mayor Cory Booker said believes that by Election Day, New Jersey residents will be able to cast their ballots without problem.

“I think that obviously the functioning of our Democracy is critically important,” Booker told CNN‘s Soledad O’Brien on Tuesday.

Though Election Day remains on track, Hurricane Sandy has affected the electorate in other ways. Many presidential polling firms had to call off daily tracking polls after being hit by the storm. In West Virginia, a GOP legislative candidate was among those killed due to snowstorms, The Associated Press reported.