North Carolina gives counties affected by Hurricane Helene voting flexibility

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

Oct. 7, 2024, 5:19 PM EDT


North Carolina’s election board voted Monday to give residents in the western part of the state, which was hit hardest by Hurricane Helene, greater flexibility to vote by mail and run their elections.

Voters in 13 counties heavily affected by the storm will have more ways to obtain and deliver absentee ballots, while county boards will have more ability to modify their election administration plans. The changes, approved by unanimous vote of the bipartisan board, come 10 days before early voting begins in the battleground state and as mail voting is already underway.

Voters in those counties who want to cast ballots by mail will be able to request and receive them in person until Nov. 4, the day before Election Day, rather than the Tuesday before, under the usual rules. They will also be able to drop off their ballots at any county board of elections in the state or any polling sites in their counties. Previously, voters were limited to dropping absentee ballots off at the board of elections or early voting sites in their counties.

The ballots will be counted if they are received by 7:30 p.m. ET on Election Day. The emergency provisions will allow county boards, with bipartisan majority votes, to change their early voting hours and schedules if necessary. They will be able to move polling sites as necessary and even move them into other counties if necessary.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/north-carolina-voting-flexibility-hurricane-helene-rcna174352

[littlemissmartypants]

1. I'm so happy with the job our NC SBE is doing.

They are using lessons learned from Katrina and have been on top of this from day one.

My inbox is slammed with information on meetings, votes and voter information.

I believe that we will set an example for disaster voting modifications and contingency management for years to come.

Thanks so much for sharing this, BRDS!











❤️

Voters Affected by Helene
Find information for North Carolina voters in the Helene disaster area during the 2024 general election. Continue reading, or click the links below to jump to specific parts of this page.

Tips for Voting in the 2024 General Election After Helene
Emergency Designation
County Boards of Elections Office Closures
By the Numbers
Relevant Links
Press Statements
State Board Actions
Helpful Information
Revisit this page throughout the election for additional resources as they become available.

https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/upcoming-election/helene-recovery-and-voting

[BumRushDaShow]

2. This may end up also being needed for the eastern part

once what is currently Hurricane Milton, cuts across Florida, and heads out to sea. There is a potential for it to whip up lots of rain/wind/ocean waves back against coastal GA, SC, and NC.

[littlemissmartypants]

4. I just checked the forecast.

Marine Alert: S OF CAPE LOOKOUT NC TO SURF CITY NC OUT TO 20 Nautical Miles and Small Craft Advisory from WED 7:00 AM EDT until SAT 6:00 AM EDT

Downtown riverfront Wilmington already floods every time there's a full moon. It's a pain parking when I'm there to shop or volunteer at the public radio station. So I already have to check the weather report to plan trips if I don't want to wade through water even without an impending storm.

Issued By
Wilmington - NC, US, National Weather Service
Affected Area
The lower Cape Fear River including downtown
Description
...COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 5 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON...

WHAT...Up to one foot of inundation above ground level expected in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways.

WHERE...The lower Cape Fear River including downtown Wilmington.

WHEN...From 11 AM this morning to 5 PM EDT this afternoon.

IMPACTS...Portions of Battleship Road and USS North Carolina Road observe minor coastal flooding up to one foot in depth. In downtown Wilmington, sections of Water Street observe minor flooding up to one half foot in depth. Check with local officials for any road closures or impacts.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Affected areas listed are based on average tide conditions. Additional locations may experience flooding during periods of heavy rainfall, high winds, or other factors.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If travel is required, allow extra time as some roads may be closed. Do not drive around barricades or through water of unknown depth. Take the necessary actions to protect flood-prone property.

I'm close to the river but I'm also at the second highest elevation in the county so when it floods, I become an island basically.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. The tides are still running a little high as we come out of a New Moon

(that also has some increase in tides although not as much as a Full Moon)

The system has been scraping along the top of the Yucatan peninsula and that has weakened it, along with it having gone through what they call an "Eyewall Replacement Cycle", where it transitions from a very strong tiny radius "eye", and then expands that out to be a wider one, and that reduces the central pressure and also helps to weaken it further... at least initially. But once that is done, it can once again strengthen and become even more massive a storm.

So right now, it is down closer to the lower/mid side of a Cat 4 vs what it was last night at the high end of a Cat 5.

[littlemissmartypants]

9. Still a cat 4 is no joke. I'd be on a flight out so fast all that would be evident would be my silence. ❤️

[Deminpenn]

3. Wouldn't surprise me at all if some of these emergency

voting rules changes become permanent.

[GB_RN]

5. I'm Honestly Surprised.

Given their intransigence WRT making voting easier, I would have expected a partisan split.

Probably would have been a split if it was “Blue” counties involved. As it is, Watauga County (Boone, Appalachian State University) and Buncombe (Asheville, UNC-Asheville) are the only true, Blues. The remaining counties affected are all ruby red.

[littlemissmartypants]

6. No, both parties hold their own at the NC SBE. No way there won't be a unified front.

It would be anti North Carolinian. We All love the Old North State too much for such pettiness.