By Theresa Opeka
Carolina Journal
- “The people of North Carolina and western North Carolina can have faith in these processes that have been long established to deliver the results accurately, safely, and securely, and we will have those unofficial results posted on November the 5th.” Karen Brinson Bell, executive director, North Carolina State Board of Elections
The aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene will not hinder the election process in North Carolina, say elections officials in North Carolina.
“Mountain people are strong, and the election people who serve them are resilient and tough,” said North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) executive director Karen Brinson Bell at a press briefing Tuesday. “Just go back to 2020 when we held an incredibly successful election with record turnout during the COVID pandemic. We’ve battled through hurricanes and tropical storms and still held safe and secure elections, and we will do everything in our power to do so again.”
She said she had been overwhelmed but not surprised by the offers to help from county boards of elections in parts of the state that were not affected by the storm to help their colleagues in Western North Carolina.
While they don’t have all of the answers right now and will know more by the end of the week, the NCSBE’s objective is getting the county boards of elections up and running.
Brinson Bell mentioned Monday at an emergency election board meeting that all county board election members in the western part of the state are safe. While election offices in the region did not sustain damage from the storm, twelve remain closed. As they get back up and running, they will begin to assess early voting sites and Election Day polling places to see the extent of the damage and determine which facilities won’t be available.
She said they remain in contact with state and federal partners, the US Postal Service, and their voting systems and ballot printing vendors.
The Election Board voted unanimously Monday to allow boards of elections affected by Helene to reschedule their pre-Election Day absentee board meetings, which occur each Tuesday, Oct. 1, and Election Day, to delay holding their absentee board meetings until they are operational, and only have to give 48 hours’ notice instead of 30 days.
Voters affected by Helene can go to ncsbe.gov/helene, which will be updated with the latest information.
Brinson Bell also announced Tuesday that NCSBE is deploying special emergency kits to county election boards in Watauga Mitchell, Yancy, and Haywood counties. The kits contain clean laptops, cell phones, and Wi-Fi devices so that boards can have cellular internet service.
Even with the voter registration deadline of Oct. 11 fast approaching and the beginning of early voting on Oct. 17, Brinson Bell assured media that voting issues aren’t a big concern, as Election Day is weeks away and they’ve experienced similar weather events in the past.
Essential materials, voting equipment, and printed or returned ballots in the affected counties were unharmed by the storm, Brinson told media members. She said security and the chain of custody for those materials remains in place.
“If there is a ballot that has been sent in or has been sent out and has somehow been damaged or lost in the storm, then we can work with those folks to cancel a ballot, reissue a new one,” she said. “Until we receive the ballot, then that vote has not been cast.”
Also, if a voter was planning to cast an absentee ballot by mail and has not received that ballot or then chooses to vote in person instead, they can destroy that ballot, and come and vote in person during the early voting or on Election Day.
If a voter doesn’t have an ID with them due to the storm, state law allows exceptions for natural disasters. Voters can complete an exception form and note whether their request is because they’re voting by mail or in person. Their vote would be considered provisional.
If a voter needs to check their registration, they can go to the election board website and use the voter search tool.
Brinson Bell said the State Board of Elections is in early conversations with the General Assembly for assistance and allowances in conducting the upcoming election in Western North Carolina. The request will likely include additional funding for county election boards, but she said they won’t have a full scope of the needs until later this week.
Proposals being considered, include:
- Merging polling places.
- Extending the use of early voting facilities.
- Using mobile vote centers, as has been done in the past for other storms.
Other questions, such as the possibility of adopting an emergency rule for a grace period on properly marked postmarked ballots received after Election Day, would have to be discussed with the legislature, which returns to Raleigh next week.
When asked about election integrity, Brinson Bell said the NCSBE has had secure systems in place for years and those processes don’t change because of a storm.
“Just like we do with every election, and it’s not going to stop how we do elections,” she said. “Just because there’s been a hurricane, we might have to do it a little differently, but we’re going to proceed, and we’re going to deliver this election, and the people of North Carolina and western North Carolina can have faith in these processes that have been long established to deliver the results accurately, safely, and securely, and we will have those unofficial results posted on November the 5th.”
Theresa Opeka is the Executive Branch reporter for the Carolina Journal.
