North Carolina Seeking Ways to Save Voting Access in Wake of Hurricane Helene’s Destruction
State Board of Elections implements emergency measures for 13 affected counties, extending absentee ballot deadlines and allowing polling site relocations
Residents throughout the western swath of North Carolina that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Helene should be able to cast their ballots for the upcoming elections after the state’s election boards launched swift emergency measures in the wake of widespread damage across the region.
The board unanimously voted on Monday to allow voters in the 13 affected counties, including Buncombe County and the city of Asheville, additional ways to obtain and drop off absentee ballots, according to NBC News. The measure comes just 10 days before early voting begins and will also enable county boards to modify their own election administration plans, including changing early voting hours if needed and the ability to move polling sites, including moving them into other counties if necessary. According to state officials, voting sites planned for before the storm hit is currently being used as shelters and warehouses.
Voters in the counties affected by Hurricane Helene will have until November 4, the day before in-person voting, to request and receive their mail-in ballots. These votes can be counted if they are received as late as 7:30 P.M. on Election Day.
Other states are enacting changes to the voting process due to the damage left across the southeast by Helene.
Governor DeSantis, who is preparing the state to brace for another damaging storm as the category 5 Hurricane Milton whips its way toward Tampa Bay, issued an executive order to give 13 counties more flexibility, including giving officials the ability to move polling sites and drop boxes and to hire poll workers from other counties but stopped short of extending the deadline for voter registration currently scheduled for Monday.
Officials in Georgia say that operations are expected to continue without any issues. The Associated Press reported that only under 700 ballots in the state are caught up in areas where local post offices are closed, and officials in that state are planning for other ways for those voters to obtain mail-in ballots.
South Carolina, however, has decided to extend their registration to October 14.
