By Laura Lee
More than 4.2 million North Carolinians cast their ballots statewide during early voting, surpassing the 2020 early voting total of about 3.6 million voters.
Early voting statistics from the State Board of Elections (BOE) showed Hurricane Helene did not deter voters in Western North Carolina from casting their votes.
“Voters in the 25 Western North Carolina counties affected by Hurricane Helene continue to outpace the rest of the state in voter turnout,” a statement from the state BOE said. “Through Saturday, turnout in those 25 counties was 58.9%, about 2% higher than the statewide turnout.”
More than 722,000 voters cast early ballots in the 25 FEMA-designated disaster counties in Western North Carolina, up from about 632,000 in 2020.
Of the 72,272 absentee ballots sent out to voters in the 25 counties, 41,253 have been returned as of Nov. 2. The 31,019 outstanding absentee ballots must be received by the time the polls close at 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Voters can also return their ballots to their county Board of Election’s office.
“North Carolinians who are voting by mail should not wait any longer to turn in their ballot,” Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board said in a press release on Oct.31. “Under the new law, your county board must have your ballot in hand by Election Day to count it.”
Under special provisions because of the storm, Voters holding absentee ballots in the 25 designated counties may deliver their ballots in-person to any North Carolina county board of elections office or the State Board of Elections office in Raleigh by 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
An emergency resolution by the State Board of Elections made special provisions for the 13 counties most affected by the storm. The “Helene 13” included Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga and Yancey.
County boards in these counties were given additional flexibility to alter plans to accommodate damage from Hurricane Helene.
Across the region, seven precincts will hold voting in temporary structures because of storm damage.
In Buncombe County, only one Election Day site will be held in a temporary structure, Board of Elections Director Corrine Duncan said in a briefing last week. Temporary structures will also be used to vote in Haywood, Burke and Yancey Counties.
Polls open on Election Day at 6:30 a.m. statewide. Polls close in North Carolina on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., but any voter in line at 7:30 p.m. will be able to cast their ballot.
Unlike early voting, to cast a ballot on Election Day, voters must go their assigned precinct. The Voter Search tool provides a way to locate the proper precinct.
Find voter information in BPR’s Western North Voter Guide.
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