© 2024 Allbritton Journalism Institute

‘We Do Not Stop an Election’: Hurricane Helene Has Swing States Scrambling

It is not clear how many voters have lost their IDs or absentee ballots, or whether voting precincts will be able to open in time.

Debris is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Asheville, N.C.
The Biden administration declared a major federal disaster for areas of Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. Mike Stewart/AP

North Carolina is reeling from Hurricane Helene. People are still missing, millions are without power, roads are impassable in many towns and the city of Asheville doesn’t have access to clean drinking water. And in 34 days there’s an election that, suddenly, no one knows how to ensure it will be run smoothly.

Both voting logistics and voter preferences are suddenly gnarled with complications in the swing state. It is not clear how many voters have lost their IDs or absentee ballots, or whether all voting precincts will be able to open in time. It’s also impossible to predict whether voters will change their minds about who to vote for — or if those battling the disastrous consequences of the storm will care to turn out at all.

The aftermath of the hurricane has already become viciously political. Some Republicans, including Donald Trump, have claimed without evidence that the Biden-Harris administration and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper have been “going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas.”