Gov. DeSantis of Florida has eased voter restrictions via emergency executive order in Charlotte, Lee, and Sarasota Counties, which were hit hardest during Hurricane Ian. DeSantis is being called a hypocrite by some for easing restrictions now when he was against easing them and wanted tougher restrictions for the 2020 election. Also, these counties are majority Republican.

According to Fox News, this ease on restrictions includes expanding access to mail-in ballots, along with “allowing people to request by phone to have their mail-in ballots sent to a new address rather than their residential address, expanding the pool of eligible poll workers and expanding early voting to begin October 24 through election day on November 8” and will help tens of thousands of people who were affected in those counties. However, critics say that this executive order is politically motivated with the upcoming midterm elections in November.

Lori Rozsa, a Washington Post reporter, said that these counties are majority Republican. "More than 450,000 voters in Lee, Charlotte and Sarasota are registered as Republicans, compared with 265,000 Democrats and nearly 290,000 affiliated with no party," Rozsa reported. "Overall, registered Republicans outnumber Democrats in many, but not all, of the counties damaged by the hurricane. Orange County, where Hurricane Ian passed as a Category 1 storm and left historic flooding in Orlando and surrounding areas, has 360,389 registered Democrats and 217,061 registered Republicans. It was not granted any exceptions."

Gloria Oladipo, a reporter for The Guardian, wrote a similar article, saying "Governor Ron DeSantis has made voting easier in certain Florida counties battered by Hurricane Ian – but only Republican-leaning ones. DeSantis signed an executive order on Thursday that eases voting rules for about 1 million voters in Lee, Charlotte and Sarasota counties, all areas that Hurricane Ian hit hard and that all reliably vote Republican. Meanwhile, Orange County, a Democratic-leaning area which experienced historic flooding from the storm, received no voting exceptions."

DeSantis is fighting back against these claims that these voter restrictions are politically motivated. His press secretary released a statement on Monday denying that these voter restrictions are political and that these are the only counties that requested this ease of restrictions out of many Republican and Democrat majority counties affected by the storm. According to the statement, “The Department of State corresponded and consulted with Supervisors in every county that was impacted by Hurricane Ian. Supervisors in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota Counties are the only ones that requested provisions, including in writing, to waive certain requirements in order to provide voters with an adequate opportunity to vote."

In Lee County, one of the counties receiving an ease on voting restrictions through the executive order, many polling places no longer exist, and about a third of them are damaged. Sarasota County, another county easing restrictions, is worried that there will be a lack of poll workers. Therefore, mail-in ballots would help ease the strain.

Orange County is a Democrat-leaning area that did not receive exemptions even though it faced massive flooding. However, Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles, a Democrat, says that all 20 voting sites are good to go for the election.

Collier County, a county DeSantis won by 30 points, did not request assistance. "It’s high and dry," Supervisor Jennifer Edwards told the New York Times on October 4.