Hurricane-Impacted Red Counties in Battleground State Sees Over 200,000 Early Votes Cast

Newly released voting data shows that residents in Republican-leaning counties affected by Hurricane Helene have cast over 200,000 early votes. 

Hurricane Helene made landfall in late September, leaving large portions of North Carolina, a key battleground state, in devastation. Lawmakers adjusted voting laws to ensure that those impacted by the hurricane were able to exercise their constitutional right to vote with one early voting location being opened per 30,000 people.

On October 17th, North Carolina set a record in early voting numbers with over 350,000 ballots cast. Since then, 3.5 million votes have been counted, accounting for nearly 36% of registered voters in the state. 

At the same time in 2016, North Carolina reported 1.6 million early votes, whereas in 2020, 3.5 million early votes were counted. The discrepancy is widely attributed to COVID-19. 

The  North Carolina Board of Elections (NCSBE) reported that despite 13 counties within the state being deeply impacted by Hurricane Helene, early voting numbers are indicating a “tremendous turnout.”

This data underscores the potential impact of early voting in regions recovering from natural disasters, highlighting the resilience of voters in counties impacted by Hurricane Helene.