The Note: The Politics of the Storm

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October 7, 2016

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The Politics of the Storm

Florida Voter Registration Deadline Won't Be Extended Despite Hurricane

Florida Gov. Rick Scott said that he will not extend the deadline for voter registration in the state despite the potential impact from Hurricane Matthew, ABC's TOM LIDDY reports. "I'm not going to extend it, if you, whether it's the registration date, you've had, everybody has had a lot of time to register," Scott told reporters. "So on top of that we got lots of opportunities to vote, early voting, absentee voting and election day so I don't intend to make any changes." http://abcn.ws/2e7sIP5

What the Clinton Campaign is Saying

On Thursday, the Clinton campaign had called for an extension of the Oct. 11 deadline in light of the storm. "The voter registration deadline in Florida is October 11th and our hope would be that a little bit more time will be given for people who were expecting to be able to get registered before the election and we certainly expect that the governor and local officials will make that possible," said Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook. Mook also said that the campaign was focused on the safety of Floridians. "Our first priority on Hurricane Matthew is that people are safe," he said. "We have been doing everything we can on social media and email list to make sure that all Floridians heed the warnings of public officials that are saying this could be a very deadly storm." http://abcn.ws/2e7sIP5

The Debate Must Go On

A senior official on the Commission for Presidential Debates tells ABC's TOM LLAMAS they see no scenario in regards to the hurricane that would impact them from changing the date or time of the debate. They are monitoring the news but the debate is going forward as planned.

Meanwhile, Marco Rubio's Senate Campaign is Pushing Back Against Criticism

Rubio's senate campaign is pushing back against criticism of a fundraising email sent to supporters as Floridians prepare for Hurricane Matthew, ABC's BEN SIEGEL notes. In a Thursday afternoon email, the campaign asked supporters to "stop what you are doing right now" to listen to a recorded audio message from the senator. (The link now redirects to the campaign's website, and not a message from Rubio). While Democrats criticized the appeal, Olivia Peres-Cubas, a Rubio spokeswoman, said the message was an old email that was sent to supporters Thursday by the campaign's digital vendor. "It was not sent to people in Florida, Georgia or South Carolina since we know they're preparing for the storm," she said in an email. On Wednesday, Rubio emailed campaign supporters asking for donations to the Red Cross and Salvation Army ahead of the hurricane.

This Week on 'This Week'

Ahead of the second major presidential debate in St. Louis, George Stephanopoulos goes one-on-one with Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus and Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile, Sunday on "This Week." And with just one month until Election Day, the Powerhouse Roundtable debates the week in politics, with Rebuilding America Now PAC strategist Alex Castellanos, President Obama's 2012 deputy campaign manager and Democratic strategist Stephanie Cutter, ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd, Progressive Caucus co-chair Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minnesota, and conservative strategist Mary Matalin.