TALLAHASSEE, Fla.  — Election supervisors in 10 counties are asking the state to relax some voting regulations in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

In a letter, they say that storm damage in some areas may have displaced voters and affected voting sites.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Wednesday that his office is reviewing the request and considering its options.

History shows that the request is not unprecedented — the state made exceptions in 2022 for Hurricane Ian and in 2018 for Hurricane Michael.

Hillsborough and Pinellas counties are among the 10 asking the state for more flexibility after Helene. The other Florida counties include Charlotte, Citrus, Dixie, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Sarasota and Taylor. 

The elections supervisors said that the top two concerns are damaged voting sites and displaced voters.

They are asking the state to allow them to choose new voting locations where needed.

They are also asking the state to allow more time for early voting and more flexibility for displaced voters who want a mail-in ballot.

"Communicate with us," said Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer. "Let us know if you have a vote-by-mail ballot request on file and you need to set it to another address. Hopefully, we'll have a decision out of the governor's office pretty soon and we'll be able to accommodate that."

In some counties, supervisors are asking for ballot intake stations as well as permission to recruit poll workers that live outside of the county.