Absentee ballot rules, polling sites to change for 13 counties in Western NC after Helene

As Western North Carolina continues to clean-up from the disastrous effects of Hurricane Helene, the State Board of Elections has begun to assess and make plans to ensure the upcoming general election runs smoothly for all voters, including those affected by the storm.  

“It may look a little different in these effected counties, but we fully intend to offer early voting starting on the17th” said Karen Brinson Bell, state board executive director, in a Monday meeting.  

The countdown is on with less than 30 days until Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5 and early voting starting next week.  

Progress is being made despite destruction to power, service, water, homes and roads among other things, with all county board of elections offices up and running as of Monday, Brinson Bell said. Many workers still face “personal struggles” after Helene, though.  

The board is committed to making the election happen, even if they have to “take voting to the people,” Brinson Bell said. 

In one step toward making voting a reality, the five-person board voted to unanimously pass several resolutions Monday. The resolutions only apply to 13 counties most affected by the storm.  

Counties eligible for voting process adjustments

The following counties have reported that their early and Election Day voting sites have been significantly impacted by the storm, the board of elections said.  

• Ashe  
• Avery 
• Buncombe 
• Haywood 
• Henderson 
• Madison 
• McDowell 
• Mitchell 
• Polk 
• Rutherford 
• Transylvania 
• Watauga 
• Yancey 

Although the resolution only applies to those counties, 25 counties were affected by the storm, which includes over 1.2 million registered voters. In those 25 counties, over 40,000 absentee ballots have already been sent to voters, according to the state board. 

Unaffiliated voters make up the biggest group of registrants in the affected counties with Republicans following close behind and Democrats much farther. Western North Carolina as a whole tends to swing red, with the majority of counties in Western North Carolina going for Donald Trump in the 2020 election.  

Helene recovery package: North Carolina lawmakers to vote this week, leaders say

What’s changing? 

In-person voting: County boards can modify early voting sites and hours with a bipartisan majority vote. The board will notify the media and make postings in community relief hubs when changes are made. These changes could be made to early in-person voting and Election Day voting, even opening voting in another county. They will also allow, with a bipartisan majority, for voters to cast a ballot at any site in their county.  

There's no particular deadline for county boards to make these changes.  

Absentee ballots: The board will now allow absentee ballots to be requested in-person up until the day before Election Day, in these 13 counties. The board also voted to allow voters to return their absentee ballot to a county board other than their assigned one. In this case, whichever board receives their ballot will mark it and send it to the correct county board to be processed and counted. 

Absentee ballots must still be received by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.   

If a voter cannot access mail at their permanent address or the mail service cannot deliver it, voters can pick up their mail at a post office, the board of elections said.  

The board said that county board offices are receiving mail, so voters can feel comfortable sending absentee ballots back to them at this time.  

Ballot delivery assistance: In what the board called “Multipartisan Assistance Teams,” workers will be able to assist voters in returning ballots for those who cannot do so. These workers will be trained by the board of elections and will be deployed to disaster shelters, for example. 

Poll workers: With a bipartisan majority vote, the board can appoint poll workers to sites outside of their precinct and reassign workers while also working “to maintain bipartisan representation among the judges at all sites, to the extent possible” according to the resolution.  

The resolution also calls for emergency management to help provide temporary voting facilities, generators, bathrooms, among other needs.  

Read the entire resolution here: 20241007 Emergency Resolution for 13 WNC Counties_Final_Signed.pdf 

There will not be a change or extension in the voter registration deadline, but voters can register in-person during early voting, which lasts from Tuesday, Oct.17 to Saturday, Nov. 2.  

For updated information, visit Helene Recovery and Voting | NCSBE.

Election integrity amid a changing landscape

While many Republican leaders continue to fuel election security concerns, some refusing to say they will accept November’s results, the board of elections assured reporters that the election will be secure despite the effects of Helene.  

Board member Stacy “Four” Eggers IV, Republican board member from Western North Carolina, said he's normally hesitant to make changes to elections, but that he supports these changes, citing the nonpartisan majority vote requirement.  

Kevin Lewis, also a Republican board member, echoed Eggers’ confidence, saying he expects it to be a collaborative effort.  

In response to misinformation about voting and election security, Brinson Bell told reporters she and her team are working in a nonpartisan manner to serve all voters. 

“I don’t care what their political affiliation is. We’re going to get this job done because that’s our work no matter what the election, no matter the circumstances, is to ensure that every eligible voter is able to cast their ballot,” Brinson Bell said.  

Aside from the board’s resolution, Brinson Bell said the board has made around a $2 million request from the legislature in response to Helene and in preparation for their return on Oct. 9.