North Carolina launches in-person early voting with mountain areas still recovering from Helene
North Carolina election officials are scrambling to expand their early voting programs to address fallout from Hurricane Helene.
Early in-person voting kicks off Thursday in North Carolina, one of seven hotly contested battleground states in the 2024 presidential election.
Some North Carolina communities are making last-minute adjustments to their 2024 election schedules in the fallout from Hurricane Helene this month.
In Buncombe County, one of the counties hit hardest by the storm, the board of elections approved new times and locations for early voting. Early in-person voting kicks off Thursday morning, with polls remaining open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Nov. 1.
"We’ve got a new early voting plan," Buncombe Board of Elections Chair Jake Quinn said in a statement. "Please everybody, spread the word."
Buncombe is also having to adjust polling locations, as some are no longer fit to serve as polling places or are more difficult to access. The county published a list of locations that are now operating for early voting.
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Buncombe County voted decisively for President Biden in the 2020 election, according to state records. Biden received 96,515 votes, compared to former President Trump's 62,412, totaling a 60%-40% split.
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Nearby Watauga County also released its own revised early voting schedule this month. The county's board of elections says none of its polling places has changed, but they will now expand their timing to be open on weekends during early voting. Residents will be able to access polling places from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
"We are grateful to all the people that worked so hard to build our county’s infrastructure back so quickly. It is truly amazing to see people from all over the country pitching in to help strangers in need. That’s what America is all about. This helped minimize any disruptions to voters so that every voice can be heard. We also want to thank all the election officials who offered to work the new weekend shifts. We literally can’t do it without them," the board said in a statement.
Biden also took Watauga County in the 2020 election, receiving 53% of the vote to Trump's 44%.
State election officials are scheduled to hold a press conference Thursday on other measures they are taking to ensure the election goes smoothly.
They say roughly 25 counties were heavily impacted by Helene, and those contain 76 polling locations. Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the NC State Board of Elections and Corinne Duncan, the Buncombe County elections director will lead the press conference.
The majority of North Carolina voters in the 25 counties impacted by Helene are Republican, according to state voter registration records. Officials say 482,930 registered Republicans live in the area, compared to 294,106 Democrats. There are also 492,546 unaffiliated voters.
North Carolina last voted for a Democrat president in 2008, when then-Sen. Barack Obama won the state by 0.3 points, or 14,177 votes.
Trump pulled out a convincing 3.7 point win in 2016, but that margin shrank to 1.3 points against Biden in 2020.
Late last month, the Fox News Poll had the two 2024 presidential candidates just a point apart from each other, with Democrat nominee Vice President Harris at 49% and GOP nominee former President Trump at 50%. North Carolina is ranked a Toss Up on the Fox News Power Rankings.
The state has become more competitive as its population has grown. Over the last full decade, North Carolina added roughly 1.1 million people, the fourth-largest gain among all states.
Much of that growth has been in urban and suburban areas like those in solidly blue Mecklenburg and Wake counties.
The pandemic brought more wealthy, urban Americans from surrounding states, and there are pockets of college voters as well.
Rural areas have experienced some population decline, but they remain a powerful part of the state’s overall vote, and they vote overwhelmingly Republican.
This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for North Carolina.
North Carolina began absentee voting for registered voters in September. Applicants do not need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. The state must receive a ballot application by Oct. 29, and that ballot must be delivered to county officials by Nov. 5.
Early in-person voting begins Oct. 17. Check the state's website for more information. The last day to vote in-person is Nov. 2.
North Carolina residents can register to vote online or by mail through Oct. 11. They can also register in-person during early voting between Oct. 17 and Nov. 2.
