Hundreds of voting centers close in wake of Sandy, might impact - 14 News, WFIE, Evansville, Henderson, Owensboro

Hundreds of voting centers close in wake of Sandy, might impact elections

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VANDERBURGH CO., IN (WFIE) -

Hundreds of early voting centers out east were closed on Tuesday in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, and that could have an impact on next week's election. 

Sandy has left more than three dozen people dead, millions are still without power, and no one knows yet when power will be restored.

Those are just a couple factors that could affect early voting and turnout when election day rolls around one week from Tuesday.

Voters casting their ballots early in Vanderburgh County say they're thinking of Sandy's impact out east.

"Probably, voting is probably the last thing on their minds," said an early voter. 

"I'm afraid that in some of those states, they're not going to vote because that's not going to be a priority," early voter, Sandy Neukam said.

Hundreds of voting centers in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C., just to name a few, were closed on Tuesday while emergency crews began to assess the estimated $20 billion in damages.

"It may not directly affect the President, but it'll affect the other races," Neukam said.

"I think the election, I mean, we need to wait a couple weeks for those people to get to safety and get their power back on," early voter, David Adams said.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie made it clear the election is the last thing on his mind.

"I don't give a damn about Election Day. It doesn't matter a lick to me. At the moment, I've got much bigger fish to fry than that," Gov. Christie said.

President Obama cancelled campaign stops to Ohio on Wednesday to guide relief efforts from Washington...

"The public needs to prepare for the fact that this is going to take a long time for us to clean up," President Obama said. 

While his opponent, Mitt Romney turned a scheduled campaign stop in Ohio into a rally to gather relief supplies.

"Some went to the grocery store I see and purchased some things that these families will need and I appreciate your generosity," Romney said.

Still, Sandy's impact on the popular vote is yet to be seen.

"You never know what's going to happen, like Sandy for example. So, if you have the opportunity, get out early and just vote," said an early voter. 

Early voting continues in Vanderburgh County through Friday.

Some states hit by Sandy say they're planning to reopen voting centers on Wednesday, while others are just hoping to have power back on in time for election day.

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