Strong hurricane Helen caused devastating flooding in the southeastern United States, with North Carolina being one of the hardest-hit areas. As the voter registration deadline approaches, election officials in North Carolina are racing against the clock to ensure that over 7 million registered voters can cast their ballots in the upcoming presidential election.
North Carolina is one of the seven “battleground” states, expected to potentially determine the outcome of this year’s US election.
According to Reuters on Tuesday, the State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson-Bell stated, “The level of destruction is unprecedented, and this degree of uncertainty so close to Election Day is daunting.”
She mentioned that twelve county election offices in western North Carolina were closed due to the hurricane. The voter registration deadline is on October 11, which is fast approaching. It is currently uncertain the extent of damage to voting equipment or ballots in the storm.
Brinson-Bell stated that the state government plans to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the storm’s impact on election facilities and other issues this week.
She said, “It’s still early, but we intend to start early voting in all 100 counties on October 17.”
The Board of Elections has set up a website providing voting information related to Hurricane Helen and is working with the US Postal Service to ensure voters receive absentee ballots, as well as continuing allowing voters to register on-site with proof of address.
She added that approximately 250,000 people in the state have requested mail-in ballots.
North Carolina is one of the states where the Republican Party has implemented new restrictive voting laws. Since 2008, North Carolina voters have consistently supported the Republican Party. In this election, the Democratic Party hopes to flip the state in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Hurricane Helen wreaked havoc in western North Carolina, destroying hundreds of homes, displacing residents, washing away town centers with sudden floods. Currently, at least 56 people have died, and nearly two million households are without power.
When asked whether these changes, turmoil, and uncertainties would affect people’s confidence in the election results, Brinson-Bell expressed that even if voters have to cast their ballots in different ways than usual, the state government will rely on precinct voting books and post-election verification for review.