The head of North Carolina’s Board of Elections said it is working with all 25 western counties in the FEMA-designated disaster area to ensure the state is ready to vote in the November election.
Elections Director Karen Brinson Bell said Tuesday that the state is confident it will be able to move forward with the election.
“This storm is like nothing we've seen in our lifetime in Western North Carolina. The destruction is unprecedented and this level of uncertainty this close to Election Day is daunting,” Brinson Bell said.
The state BOE has set up a website for voters who are impacted by Tropical Storm Helene.. The site contains information about U.S. Postal Service disruptions, resources and more.
The counties impacted by Tropical Storm Helene stretch from Allegany to Clay and also include the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Area across three counties — Cherokee, Graham and Swain — in Western North Carolina.
As of Oct. 1, there are 12 election offices closed across the region; the elections office in Jackson County is open but has no internet service.
“This will be an ongoing process now until Election Day and even after Election Day. We do not have all the answers right now, but we are diligently working to figure them out,” Brinson Bell said.
Election officials also will work to provide printed materials for voters in the affected areas who may not have cellphone service or internet access.
Brinson Bell said she thinks of Western North Carolina as her adopted home after years working in the region. She says her first job was as a field support specialist to the 12 westernmost counties in the state.
“I've driven the roads that no longer exist. I frequented the restaurants and shops that are washed away, and I've likely picked out a Christmas tree from a farm where the trees are uprooted,” Brinson-Bell said. “I know people whose homes have been damaged and are suffering in this tragic situation. Mountain people are strong, and the election people who served them are resilient and tough too.”
Brinson Bell reminded that this isn’t the first time the state has voted during a disaster.
She remembered Hurricane Dorian in 2009, when one election office operated out of a tent in a dry parking lot in Hyde County.
“As we know more we will be able to access if we are looking at a change of venue for voting or if we are able to set up temporary facilities for voting,” Brinson Bell said.
The state is deploying special emergency kits called ARKs, or attack response kits. They were designed around cybersecurity, but can be repurposed in any kind of emergency situation. Brinson Bell said officials refer to ARKs as “an election office in a box.”
ARKs have been sent to Mitchell, Yancey and Haywood counties while others have been requested. The state has 10 kits available.
At the state level, no essential materials were harmed in the storm, according to the BOE.
Absentee ballots have already begun to be sent out and returned. BOE General Counsel Paul Cox explained that voters who already requested ballots but had to leave their homes will be able to request new ballots.
“We’re going to ask them to ‘spoil’ their current ballot; spoiling just means that you're going to, you know, delete it so that it's not going to count anymore and reissue it to your new location,” Cox said.
Impacted voters can also change the address they want the ballot sent to by contacting their local board of elections.
This year, the state is requiring an approved ID to vote, but there is an exemption form that includes natural disasters. Voters who fill out the form will still be able to cast their ballot.
Here are the important dates for voting in North Carolina:
- October 11: Voter registration deadline
- October 17: Early Voting starts (same-day voter registration is available during Early Voting)
- October 29: Absentee ballot request deadline
- November 2: Early Voting ends
- November 5: Election Day
Find out more information about voting at BPR’s Election Hub.
Storm victims with questions or concerns about how they will be able to vote are encouraged to contact their county board of elections or the State Board of Elections via email at elections.sboe@ncsbe.gov or by calling (919) 814-0700.