Hurricane Helene’s devastation hasn’t stopped western North Carolinians from voting early
Hurricane Helene, North Carolina’s deadliest storm in modern times, ravaged communities in the westernmost corners of the state, but it has not deterred resilient residents from early voting. In fact, turnout is shattering records in a battleground state that could determine the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.
“What most of the affected counties are seeing is tremendous turnout,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections. “We have seen a large outpouring just from the voters themselves, coming to the county boards of elections, making sure that they can still be a poll worker, making sure that they’re going to be able to cast their ballot.”
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With damage estimates exceeding $50 billion, Helene left some of the most severely impacted regions without power, clean water, critical roadways and infrastructure over a month after it made landfall.
letter to the Buncombe County Board of Elections and State Board of Elections, they alleged “partisan voter suppression” in Buncombe County, and demanded expanded accommodations for voters in more remote areas.
Buncombe County election officials say 10 of 14 planned early voting sites are operational, with 80 planned for Election Day, including one FEMA tent polling location, and 500 county poll workers.
“We just want to make sure that this election is smooth, as smooth as can be under these extraordinary circumstances. And we’re confident that we’ve been so careful about following processes and procedures properly, following the law, documenting everything we do, every decision we make,” said Quinn. “We’re maintaining the integrity through some mighty challenging circumstances.”
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Source: cbsnews.com