North Carolina eases voting rules for Hurricane Helene victims

North Carolina lawmakers have passed legislation to make it easier for residents affected by Hurricane Helene to vote in the November 5 election.

This comes as Donald Trump’s campaign worries that the storm's aftermath may suppress voter turnout in conservative regions crucial to his success.

Hurricane Helene ravaged western North Carolina last month, leading to widespread destruction.

The storm caused over 100 deaths and isolated communities due to flooding and mudslides, significantly damaging infrastructure.

The region most affected is predominantly Republican, with Trump securing 62% of the vote there in 2020.

The Trump campaign now fears that voter participation in these areas could be diminished, jeopardizing his chances in the battleground state.

North Carolina is one of several swing states up for grabs in the 2024 election, with both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris seeking to secure its electoral votes.

In response to the disaster, North Carolina legislators unanimously approved an emergency voting relief package.

The measures allow election officials in the 25 storm-hit counties to extend voting hours, combine precincts, relocate polling sites, and permit displaced residents to vote in different counties.

Trump’s campaign welcomed the changes.

His co-campaign managers, Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, stressed that these adjustments would ensure that storm victims don't lose their right to vote.

The campaign had advocated for easier voting access, acknowledging the challenges facing those in the disaster-stricken regions.

However, not everyone is satisfied. Katelin Kaiser, policy director for Democracy NC, supported the relief measures but questioned why similar accommodations were not implemented statewide, particularly since other areas are also involved in recovery efforts.

She pointed out that North Carolina’s legislature had previously passed laws tightening voting restrictions, and now the state is reacting to the disaster rather than proactively ensuring voting rights.

Concerns about voter turnout are mounting as the election approaches. Some early voting sites in the affected areas have been heavily damaged, and tens of thousands of residents are still without power.

With disrupted mail service, many fear that rural Republican voters, in particular, may struggle to cast their ballots. Asheville, a Democratic stronghold, also suffered significant damage in the storm, further complicating the election landscape.

Trump's team has privately expressed concerns about losing 10,000 to 20,000 net votes due to the storm, which could have a decisive impact in such a closely contested race.

Polls show Trump leading by a razor-thin margin of 0.9 percentage points in North Carolina, making every vote critical.

Meanwhile, neighboring Georgia has introduced its own voting complications.

The state's election board recently voted to implement a manual hand count of ballots in November’s election, a controversial move.

The decision, approved by the Republican-controlled board in a narrow 3-2 vote, mandates that three poll workers in each precinct count ballots by hand, alongside machine tabulation.

While hand counting is common in some countries, like the UK, it is rare in US elections, where machines typically handle the task. Georgia’s decision makes it the only state in the nation to incorporate a manual count as part of its routine election process.

Supporters argue it will enhance accuracy and transparency, but critics worry it could introduce delays, errors, and undermine confidence in the process.