Voting in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene devastated the region

• Hurricane Helene devastated rural mountain towns in North Carolina, a key voting bloc for Trump.
• Some analysts and candidates expect voter turnout in the region to decline as reconstruction continues.
• North Carolina is a critical battleground state with Trump and Harris neck and neck in the polls.

Three weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, hundreds of roads and bridges remain damaged or closed and tens of thousands of residents still lack running water. Many are displaced after losing their homes and businesses, while others are still clearing away dirt and debris.

With many Helene survivors still in the midst of recovery, particularly residents of rural mountain towns, political analysts and candidates told Business Insider that they expect lower turnout in the western region of the state. This is what the latest surveys show Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are in a neck-and-neck race, and North Carolina remains a key battleground state for either candidate's victory.

“Voting is not a top priority for a lot of people right now,” said Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University. “Even among the most engaged voters. If they don't have drinking water, their priorities have shifted. Therefore, I expect voter turnout to decline in the hardest hit counties.”

Cooper said his home was mostly spared from Helene, but some family members who live in Asheville temporarily moved to South Carolina. This also includes his father, who actually wanted to vote earlier and in person, but now has to apply for a postal vote.

Early voting began in North Carolina on Oct. 17, and state election officials said in-person turnout exceeded the previous record set in 2020. At the county level, state election officials told BI that comparing this year's numbers to 2020's is not accurate with several caveats, including that the mail-in voting period began two weeks earlier in 2020 than this year.

Formerly the rural mountain areas of North Carolina favored Trump. In the 2020 presidential race, he won North Carolina by fewer than 75,000 votes and received strong support in areas outside urban centers. This included 11 of the 13 counties most affected by Helene. The two exceptions were Buncombe County, where Asheville is located, and Watauga County.

Democrats want to flip historically red North Carolina and see a path in fast-growing suburbs like Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham and Fayetteville. Harris is trying to attract black voters and college-educated voters, as well as women who oppose the state's restrictive abortion law. But the aftermath of Helene has become a political lightning rod, and Trump is attacking the Biden administration's response.

Officials say North Carolinians know how important voting is

The traditional ways of reaching people, such as door knocking and social media, are not as accessible due to the destruction and spotty internet services. This has made it more difficult for campaign staff to research and combat rumors.

Trump has spread disinformation, telling attendees at a campaign rally that Harris stole Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster relief funds and spent them on housing migrants. He also wrote on Truth Social that the federal government and Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, were doing everything they could to not support Republican-leaning areas.

The Biden administration and some Republican politicians have refuted the claims, including Republican Chuck Edwards, who represents North Carolina's 11th District, which was ravaged by Helene.

Edwards told BI that he has been working around the clock to provide survivors with the resources they need. He issued a statement on Oct. 8 after being inundated with emails and calls from people upset about unfounded rumors.

“I received calls from people all over the country who wanted to send personnel, equipment and water, but because of the rumors they were worried it wouldn't get to the right place,” Edwards told BI. “First and foremost, FEMA has confiscated supplies and turned people away. There is absolutely no truth to that.”

Edwards added that while people are busy getting their lives back together, they are aware that an important election is imminent. They are motivated to go out and vote for Trump, he said.

“You remember what our lives were like the day before the storm,” Edwards said, citing inflation, oil prices and a crisis at the southern border.

Edwards' opponent, Rep. Caleb Rudow, is a Democrat who represents Buncombe County in the state legislature. He has been promoting on social media and talking about the importance of this election, especially after Helene.

Rudow said the state needs elected officials who want to solve the climate crisis that is leading to increasingly powerful hurricanes. He also told BI that the relief efforts of state, local and federal officials after Helene demonstrated the power of government after a disaster.

Rudow added that people are resilient and part of recovery is getting life back to normal. This includes talking and voting on these issues.

Still, people who have lost their homes and loved ones are probably not thinking about voting, said Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina, a voter rights group. But it is difficult to predict how Helene will affect voter turnout.

North Carolina election officials have made urgent changes to make voting easier for residents recovering from the storm.

“Helene will be in this election and we’ll just have to wait and see what the drop-off is,” Phillips said.

Were you affected by Hurricane Helene and would you like to share your election story with us? Contact [email protected].