With the race for the presidency coming to a close and attention shifting from the candidates to
, the 2012 elections may be coming to
Both candidates have been forced to switch gears from hunting for votes to addressing the natural disaster, which has disrupted early voting in some areas and raised the question of whether the election will need to be
.
Many states on the East Coast battered by the storm now face flooded and obstructed streets, halted transportation and a lack of electricity. Precincts using electronic voting machines are scrambling for a solution, as it could take days to
restore power to more than 8.2 million homes and businesses
. Additionally, the conditions are threatening to
slow the Postal Service’s delivery of absentee ballots.
In 1845,
Congress decided on a single date
for presidential elections – the Tuesday immediately following the first Monday in November. However, the date may change if approved by Congress.
Despite the damage from the storm, states officials are preparing to ensure voting will still take place. In Maryland,
early voting hours have been extended
through Friday to make up for time lost. Counties in Pennsylvania have
extended absentee ballot deadlines.
Other states are looking for new polling places for Election Day. Officials say it all depends on electricity, safety and properly functioning machines.
Six days away from Election Day in a close race, President Obama is being further tested with his response to the storm. After cancelling a campaign appearance in Florida, the president met with press at the White House to discuss relief-efforts and plans.
“I am not worried at this point about the impact on the election,” said Obama
. “I’m worried about the impact on families, and I’m worried about the impact on our first responders. I’m worried about the impact on our economy and on transportation. The election will take care of itself next week.”
Romney continued with his campaign but urged his supporters to
The Romney campaign has expanded its
television advertising into Pennsylvania
and
, releasing commercial attack-ads about Obama’s response to the economy and the 2009 auto industry crisis. Campaign
have ranged from requests for relief-support to links to the new ads.
In Maryland, Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, chose to praise President Obama for his response to the natural disaster.
“I want to thank the president personally for all his assistance as (we) recover from the storm,”
Christie on Tuesday.
Since Hurricane Sandy’s devastation, Christie has
commented that his state needs him now
while the elections can wait until next week. The governor – who at the Republican National Convention in August argued that Obama did not deserve reelection – commended the president for his similar decision-making.
With Obama’s attention diverted to storm relief-efforts, former
President Bill Clinton and vice president Joe Biden march on
with the campaign in Ohio, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, Virginia and New Hampshire.
Co-authored by Azra Halilovic, Hoy editorial intern.