How Sandy has impacted voting in N.Y., N.J., and Conn.

For the millions of residents in the tri-state area are still recovering from Superstorm Sandy, the elections may be the last thing on their minds, but voting is one more task that could be harder for some New York, New Jersey and Connecticut residents because of the storm.

The damage Sandy left in its wake isn't expected to influence the presidential election that much -- while the storm had some effects on voting in a few East Coast swing states, the three hardest-hit states are solidly Democratic in terms of their presidential vote. Still, the damage caused by the storm could have an impact on the overall popular vote or the down-ballot races in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Here's a look at how officials in these states are responding to challenges facing voters.

• Superstorm Sandy: State-by-state snapshot
• Superstorm Sandy: complete coverage

New York

It's still unclear how many polling places will have to be relocated in New York -- where more than a million people still don't have power. New York State Board of Elections spokesman John Conklin told CBSNews.com that local election boards are still assessing the impact of the storm and will report back to the state how many polling places need to be relocated. They'll consider whether the polling place is accessible to the general public, whether it has power and if it is structurally sound and safe.

Conklin said the state would set up as many new polling stations as it needs and that the board of elections is coordinating with Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office as well as state emergency management personnel to obtain generators.

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Polling places in New York do not necessarily need power, since New York uses optical scanning voting machines that can run on batteries. If necessary, however, polling stations could give voters paper ballots to fill out, which would be put in a locked box and tallied at the end of the day at the central board.

"We're going to be open for business and do everything in our power to make sure every voter that comes out to vote will have a poll site to go to," Conklin said.

"The intention is to minimize the disruption and keep poll sites as close as possible to the original location, if they have to be moved," he added. For polling places that need to be relocated, local boards will likely rely on mass media, updates on government websites and notices posted at the original sites to inform voters of the new locations.

The state extended the deadline for submitting applications for an absentee ballot from Oct. 30 to today. Absentee ballots themselves must be postmarked by Nov. 5 to be valid as always, but to account for any disruptions in mail service, they now have 13 days to reach a voter's local election board instead of just seven.

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[rbaron1176]

Why not put up polling places next to gas stations and transit stops...people are already there waiting in long lines.

[ntigre10]

Angry is the word those hit by Sandy are using to describe being hung out to dry by President Obama & FEMA, after the hammering he gave Bush over Katrina. The President better hope the victims can't vote. Because, Sandy, Obama, & leading Democrats are leaving a firestorm of discontent behind them. Obama goes off to Las Vegas to another vacation smooze fest with his billionaire buddies while the common man sits in the cold & dark. So, now they're victims a second time. Yeah! You'd better cancel the NY Marathon race. Why won't they let the National Guard in to help the victims, either? It's the perfect storm, alright. I say, "Remember Benghazi!". Those Americans waited for help that didn't arrive, either. Now, sadly, we can add, "Remember Sandy!" to the cry for help. This is like 'Remember Pearl Harbor!". But, this time the enemy of Americans is to be found in Washington, D.C. If, they're not off vacationing somewhere on our tax dollars.

[Boaparte]

I know it's rough but these poor people have a greater reason to vote than most of us.If you have been helped in this disaster or if you have not your vote will reflect the role you want government to play in your lives.For me it's Obama all the way but others may feel differently.