The North Carolina State Council passed a legislation on Wednesday (October 9) to provide more convenience for voters affected by Hurricane “Helene,” as many lawmakers are concerned that the impact of this devastating storm will lower voter turnout in this battleground state.
According to Reuters, the passing of this legislation is related to the impact of Hurricane Helene. Last month, “Helene” struck the western part of North Carolina, triggering widespread flooding and mudslides, destroying most of the infrastructure in the region, leading to some towns being completely isolated from the outside world and causing over 100 deaths.
Although former President and Republican nominee for the 2024 Presidential election, Donald Trump, and Democratic Presidential nominee and Vice President, Kamala Harris, have both stated that they are focusing on post-disaster recovery work, the political impact of this storm on the November 5th U.S. election is evident.
North Carolina is one of the seven fiercely competitive swing states, where both Trump and Harris have the potential to win. They are both making efforts to campaign in these battleground states, striving for every vote.
On Tuesday evening, Trump’s campaign team released a list of ten measures aimed at facilitating voting for affected voters in North Carolina. One of the measures is to allow displaced voters due to Hurricane Helene to vote in another county on election day.
In a statement, Trump’s campaign co-managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said that the improvements in voting access “will ensure that those who have been ravaged by this storm won’t lose their right to participate in this crucial election.”
Many of the suggestions put forward by Trump’s campaign team seem to have been incorporated into the legislation unanimously passed by the North Carolina State Council on Wednesday, as part of a comprehensive emergency relief package.
The legislation also allows the local election commissions of the 25 storm-affected counties to modify voting times, merge precincts, change polling locations, and return absentee ballots to any county commission or polling place.