Voting Locations Adjusted In North Carolina Counties After Hurricane Helene

Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, the North Carolina Board of Elections has unanimously approved a resolution to modify voting locations for the 13 most affected counties. Early voting starts on October 17, and the changes are designed to help voters in these areas cast their ballots without delay.

The counties impacted include Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey. These adjustments will include moving voting sites, extending voting hours, and adding more drop-off locations for absentee ballots.

Paul Cox, General Counsel for the Board of Elections, noted that maintaining enough poll workers could be a challenge. The resolution permits counties to bring in poll workers from other areas to ensure proper staffing on both early voting days and Election Day.

Board Chair Alan Hirsch stressed the significance of this resolution, stating, “It’s essential to provide access to every voter while maintaining the integrity of the vote count.” Local election offices have reopened and are working on implementing these changes before early voting begins.