The western North Carolina counties ravaged by Hurricane Helene will be allowed a degree of flexibility in their voting plans after a vote by the North Carolina State Board of Elections on Monday. Adopted by a unanimous vote, the election board passed a resolution authorizing the impacted counties to change early voting and Election Day polling sites, increased discretion in the appointment of poll workers, and greater flexibility for votes on they receive and return their absentee ballots.
“We will continue to make voting accessible to voters,” said Republican election board member Stacy Eggers following the decision. He added: “Whether we need four-wheelers, horses or helicopters, this disaster highlights the need for consistency in our work and making sure that we get to the locations that the voters expect us to be.”
Areas lacking poll workers will be allowed to bring election staff from other parts of the state or reassign workers to other polling locations. In addition, those who lost absentee ballots in the storm can request a new one at their local election office, and those displaced can return their ballot to any North Carolina election office.
According to state election officials, all fourteen county election board offices that were closed in the wake of Hurricane Helene have now reopened for operations. Despite this, many of the county election officials in the western areas of the state still do not have power or running water in their homes, making the fulfillment of their duties difficult. Additionally, several previously designated polling sites have been partially or completely destroyed, making them unusable.
The election board members insist that North Carolina’s plans to begin early voting on October 17 will proceed as scheduled despite the devastation in the western counties.
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