On Monday, North Carolina’s board of elections voted to give residents in the western part of the state hardest hit by Hurricane Helene more flexibility to vote by mail and hold their elections.
In the 13 counties severely affected by the storm, voters will have more ways to obtain and deliver absentee ballots, and county boards will have more options to change election office plans. The changes, approved by a unanimous vote of the bipartisan board, come 10 days before early voting begins on the battlefield and as mail-in voting is already underway.
Voters wishing to vote by mail in those regions will be able to request and receive them in person by November 4, instead of the day before voting day, according to the usual rules. They will also be able to cast their ballots at any county election board in the state or at any polling station in their county. Previously, voters were limited to casting absentee ballots at election commissions or early voting stations at polling stations.
Ballots are counted if they are received by 19:30 on the voting day.
Emergency provisions would allow state boards with a bipartisan majority to change early voting hours and schedules if necessary. They will be able to move polling stations if necessary and even move them to other districts if necessary.
State officials said some of the planned polling stations were being used as shelters and warehouses for arriving sites, while others were damaged or inaccessible by the storm.
Friday’s statewide voter registration deadline has not been extended. Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the state Board of Elections, said the state has same-day voter registration during early voting from Oct. 17 to Nov. 2, giving displaced voters another option to register if they miss it. first deadline.
The storm damaged some North Carolina ballots, Brinson Bell said, but others were returned despite the devastating storm’s impact on postal services. Five counties still lack retail and delivery service. Brinson Bell added that voters have the ability to track their ballots.
County boards will also be able to hire and transfer poll workers from other counties to ensure that each polling station has enough experienced workers, with a two-way majority vote.
Officials in other states have also made changes to the voting process in response to the hurricane.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order to give the 13 affected counties flexibility in voting and election administration, including allowing officials to move polling places and drop boxes and hire poll workers from other states. He refused to extend Monday’s deadline for voter registration in the state.
South Carolina has extended its voter registration deadline until October 14, while Georgia officials say election operations are expected to continue smoothly.
The Associated Press reported that fewer than 700 Georgia ballots were collected in areas where local post offices were closed. informed. Officials said at a briefing Monday that they are trying to come up with other ways to get those ballots to voters.