Voters in storm-ravaged parts of the Southeast may face new obstacles at the polls this year following the devastation of hurricanes Helen and Milton, back-to-back disasters that triggered a flurry of new efforts by states, parties and even the campaigns themselves. . Bid to Expand Voter Access Go to the polls and make sure your votes are counted.
Although efforts in the hurricane-ravaged Southern states have taken very different forms, the common goal is to increase engagement and participation. 2024 presidential race, where candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are in a virtual tie with less than a month until Election Day.
In North Carolina, the focus is on helping displaced residents access polling locations in the wake of Hurricane Helen, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm last month. More than 220 people were killed and caused billions of dollars in destruction.
Much of the storm's destruction was concentrated in western North Carolina and Georgia, two contested states that could play a key role in determining the next president. About 17% of North Carolina's registered voters live in counties that were designated as disaster areas after Helen. Michael Bitzer, professor of politics and history at Catawba College, previously told Fox News.
'I can't wait until the last minute': NC congressman issues warning about voter turnout in Helen-affected areas
FEMA Administrator Dean Criswell speaks during a White House press conference. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The North Carolina State Board of Elections voted to this effect last week Approve 13 county changes In the region, access to infrastructure, voting locations and postal services will have been “severely disrupted” during election day. State election officials also announced coordination Worked with FEMA and North Carolina Emergency Management to deploy portable toilets, generators and trailers to support more than 500 polling sites in the western region of the state – and devastating areas spanning nearly 25 counties.
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign also signaled new efforts to help transport voters to the polls in states devastated by the hurricane. In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Trump campaign press secretary Carolyn Levitt said the campaign has reached out to state and local election officials in the Southeast to assess the damage and ensure voters have access to ballots.
Campaign leadership, he said, “sent a letter to state and local officials in North Carolina saying, 'You need to provide as many accessible polling locations as possible,'” Levitt told Fox News, adding, “Our campaign is reviewing how we can provide transportation for potential voters who need to get to the polls and ensure their access to the polls.”
In Florida, which was devastated by hurricanes Helen and Milton, Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order giving election officials in the hardest-hit counties additional flexibility to change their election methods – including polling locations and requests for mail-in ballots. Last minute changes.
Meanwhile, Democrats in Georgia were dealt a blow last week when a federal judge ruled that he would not order the state to restart its voter registration process or extend the voter registration deadline in the wake of Hurricane Helen, rejecting the Georgia Conference's arguments of the NAACP. , the Georgia People's Agenda Coalition and the New Georgia Project, which claimed that disruptions caused by the storms unfairly deprived them of their right to register.
The decision could have a major impact on Georgia, a key state that elected Biden in 2020 by just 12,000 votes. (A federal judge in Florida also rejected similar requests filed after Hurricane Helen and the Milton, Florida chapter of the League of Women Voters' lawsuit.)
Federal judges in both states have ruled that voters will have enough time to register for the November elections.
Biden spoke to reporters in light of the damage caused by Hurricane Milton in Florida. (Getty Images)
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It's unclear what — or if — the Harris campaign has in terms of transportation or options for voters in North Carolina or other states affected by natural disasters, or what specific actions the Trump campaign might take.
Campaign officials did not respond to Fox News' requests for comment.
