In the wake of the devastation caused by Tropical Storm Helene, the bipartisan North Carolina State Board of Elections has taken swift action to ensure voters in Western North Carolina can safely and securely participate in the upcoming 2024 election. On Monday, the State Board unanimously approved a series of emergency measures to help voters in 13 heavily impacted counties, where infrastructure and voting access have been severely disrupted.
Supporting Our Neighbors in WNC
The emergency measures apply to counties where residents continue to face significant challenges, including disruptions to power, water, transportation, and postal services. These counties include: Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey.
The bipartisan vote (5-0) comes after extensive planning between state and county election officials, public safety teams, and the U.S. Postal Service. The measures aim to provide maximum flexibility and support for election officials and voters in these counties, while maintaining the highest standards of election security and integrity.
Key Measures Approved
The emergency measures include the following key actions:
In-Person Voting Adjustments: County election boards are allowed to modify early voting sites, days, and hours by bipartisan majority vote. They can also modify Election Day polling places, with the option to open sites in neighboring counties if necessary. Election officials can permit county board offices to serve as alternative voting locations if voters cannot access their usual precincts.
Absentee Voting Support: Voters in affected counties can request and receive absentee ballots in person until the day before the election. Completed absentee ballots can be delivered to any county election board or the State Board of Elections office by Election Day, where they will be processed securely and counted.
Poll Worker Flexibility: County election boards can appoint election officials from other North Carolina counties and reassign poll workers to ensure sufficient staffing at all voting sites.
Multipartisan Assistance Teams: These teams, appointed by county boards, will assist with absentee voting in disaster shelters and other relief locations, ensuring voters displaced by the storm can still cast their ballots.
Coordination with Emergency Management: The State Board will continue working with the NC Division of Emergency Management to provide aid to the affected counties, including temporary voting facilities, generators, and restrooms.
Commitment to Election Integrity
“These measures were put in place to ensure the victims of Helene can vote in the upcoming election and provide election officials in the hardest-hit areas the tools they need to conduct a secure election under extraordinarily difficult conditions,” said Karen Brinson Bell, Executive Director of the NC State Board of Elections.
The Board’s decision emphasizes the importance of providing accessible voting options for all voters while protecting the security and integrity of the election process. The measures also extend to voters temporarily living outside the state or in disaster shelters, ensuring that every eligible voter has the opportunity to participate.
For more information about voting after Helene, visit NCSBE.gov/Helene.