BY GBENGA OKE in US
With 48 hours left for Americans to vote for their next President, the devastated areas affected by Hurricane Sandy might not participate fully on Tuesdays elections as electricity has not been restored back to majority of the counties where elections should have taken place.
Government has been working around the clock to ensure every citizen of the state affected have a chance of voting by Tuesday but how that will be realized is still sketchy.
Although some people are expecting a change in date for the polls, that is unlikely as it was said that elections has been shifted in the past but not a Presidential election.
It is however stated that instead for elections to be postponed, the voting time could be extended across the states that is affected by Sandy.
When Vanguard sought what is likely to happen in any cases of Hurricane Sandy like this, it was learnt that the Congress has powers to change dates of elections only if many states are badly affected not when less than 20percent of the United States is affected towards a Presidential election.
It was said that the Constitution gives Congress powers to quickly reconvene to set date for Presidential elections and congressional elections but it is not likely in this elections.
In New York and New Jersey, some part of the states are still without electricity and this will affect voters turnout badly except for people that exercised their right through the early voting.
However, government in both states have been putting last minute changes by providing additional voting centers ahead of tuesdays presidential polls.
Ohio is not left out as well as some part of the state is still without electricity but it was learnt government is doing everything humanly possible to ensure electricity returns to ensure people have the opportunity of voting.
However, election oppression has been going on some parts of Ohio, a major swing state for both presidential candidates.
Ohio Secretary of state went up to Supreme Court trying to stop Early voting in the state simply because President Obama is leading with 6points clearly in the swing state.
