RALEIGH — In a call with media on Tuesday, the North Carolina State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell addressed voting questions for those living in the areas in the western part of the state impacted by Hurricane Helene.
This storm is like nothing we’ve seen in our lifetimes in western North Carolina,” Brinson Bell said in prepared remarks. “The destruction is unprecedented and this level of uncertainty this close to election day is daunting.”
“Mountain people are strong and the election people who serve them are resilient and tough too,” Brinson Bell said. “Just go back to 2020, when we held an incredibly successful election with record turnout during the COVID pandemic.”
There are 12 county boards of elections offices still closed today, per Brinson Bell, who said she had no reports of voting equipment being damaged in any of the county board of elections sites and that five sites have requested the NCSBE’s Attack Response Kits (ARK) in order to regain communications. An ARK includes a clean laptop, wi-fi hotspot, a connectivity protection device, and sometimes a cellphone.
25 counties plus the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal areas which spans three counties are under NC’s emergency disaster declaration that was approved by President Joe Biden. Counties included are Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey.
With a few exceptions like Buncombe and Watauga, the majority of the counties impacted are considered Republican leaning.
In-person early voting begins Oct. 17 and ends Nov. 2. Election Day is Nov. 5, but around 250,000 absentee ballots have gone out to voters already. Brinson Bell answered a number of questions arose about tracking those ballots. She said use of Omniballot, the online ballot portal used by overseas citizens and visually impaired persons, might be an option but wasn’t being considered at the moment.
Returning absentee ballots to early voting sites or on Election Day could be issues the NCSBE may need to take up and make asks of the legislature for, as well as possibly asking for an extension on the grace period for returning those ballots. Right now, all absentee ballots must be received by the appropriate county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
North State Journal asked Brinson Bell if the NCSBE was monitoring the suspension of mail delivery to around 40 zip codes in the affected areas.
Brinson Bell said they were in contact with US Postal Service officials “directly,” and that there was an assigned customer service person working with them. She said they were watching the suspensions and were working in coordination with the postal service.
“We also are working with Emergency Management and our federal authorities who have constant communication with the postal service as well,” Brinson Bell said.
When asked about making sure early voting sites were up and running as well as election day polling places, Brinson Bell said they are working to “gain a better sense” of when voting locations and facilities will be able to come back online with their operations.
“Right now, our main objective is to get the county boards of elections up and operating,” said Brinson Bell. “And for many of those folks in the affected communities, where roads have been washed out, or they do not have utilities, water power, different circumstances. So, even getting our staff in to be able to assess is a challenge.”
She added that by communicating with Emergency Management officials that “mid to late” this week is when they would be able to assess the full range of issues and any facilities that may be impacted.
“We have a good sense of which facilities were in flood areas, but of course this damage extends far beyond flood damage,” Brinson Bell said. She added there may be sites impacted by flooding, mudslides or downed trees.
“What we do know is when we’ve been able to respond in past storms, be it from flooding or other situations and State Emergency Management, the North Carolina National Guard have helped us to stand up temporary polling sites,” Brinson Bell said. “It was during Hurricane Dorian that we actually had voting from a tent that was stood up by the National Guard that made voting possible in Hyde County.”
Brinson Bell said it was “too soon to know, if the NCSBE would need to consider mergers of polling places or potentially extending use of early voting facilities.
“We anticipate having a better idea in the next few days and hopefully by the end of the week, as to whether we need to take actions with the State Board, the legislature or just work with our Emergency Management officials to do temporary locations,” said Brinson Bell.
Brinson Bell and NCSBE Legal Counsel Paul Cox both underscored that voters having to temporarily living elsewhere can request an absentee ballot and have it sent to the temporary address.
Citizens can obtain an absentee ballot through the North Carolina Absentee Ballot Portal: https://votebymail.ncsbe.gov/app/home
If a voter has already requested an absentee ballot but cannot get it at the address where it was to be delivered need to contact their county board of elections in order to spoil the original ballot and get a new one sent to their temporary address.
The NC State Board of Elections (NCSBE) has created a dedicated website for voters in the impacted areas to get information on voting, mail disruptions, and other key information which will be routinely updated: ncsbe.gov/Helene
FEMA disaster assistance available for Hurricane Helene victims in the affected counties and tribal areas. The aid can help cover uninsured damage, lodging, repairs, property loss. To apply visit DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA App, call or 800-621-3362. Those applying will need to supply contact information, the address in question, social security number, a damage list, as well as banking and insurance details. For more information visit: https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4827
