Early in-person voting began on Thursday in North Carolina, a crucial presidential battleground, as the state continues to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Helene.
The hurricane caused massive flooding, leaving many voters without power and access to clean water, particularly in the mountainous western regions of the state.
Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, confirmed that more than 400 voting locations were scheduled to open across all 100 counties for the 17-day early voting period.
Of the 80 voting sites in the 25 counties hardest hit by the storm, only four will remain closed. “We lost just a few—despite the extensive damage, loss of power, water, internet and phone service, and the washing out of roads throughout the region,” Brinson Bell said. She praised the efforts of emergency workers and election officials, stating, “It’s an effort all North Carolinians should be proud of.”
Hurricane Helene, which struck the Southeast three weeks ago, severely impacted remote Appalachian towns and caused at least 246 deaths, over half of which were in North Carolina. The storm was the deadliest to hit the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Newsweek has reached out to the North Carolina State Board of Elections for comment via email.