As the residents of North Carolina continue to clean up from Hurricane Helene and brace for another lashing from Hurricane Milton, one thing they won't have to worry about is when and where they'll be able to cast their ballots on November 5th as roads and communications networks remain disrupted.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections voted unanimously to give flexibility to local election officials as they try to ensure that residents in the mountainous western part of the battleground state will still be able to vote. That region was especially hard hit by Hurricane Helene, which has so far killed more than 200 people across six states, with hundreds of others still missing. Many roads in western North Carolina remain impassible and untold numbers of residents are still cut off from the outside world.
The North Carolina Election Board's goal is to guarantee voters in all areas of the state will have the same voting options -- either by mail, by early in person starting on October 17th, or on Election Day. The changes approved by the five-member election board would allow outreach teams in 13 of the hardest-hit counties to visit disaster shelters and other areas to help people complete their ballots.
North Carolina is a must-win state for both candidates. Vice President Kamala Harris has been steadily increasing her lead over Donald Trump in all significant national polls in the last two weeks.
Other states similarly impacted by Helene and Milton will have to scramble as well to ensure their registered residents can get their ballots in on time, whether by mail or in person.