Polls opened for early voting yesterday in North Carolina – a critical battleground in the November 5 US presidential election – just weeks after Hurricane Helene left some residents still without power, running water or phone service.
North Carolina could be crucial in determining a winner in the race between US Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, and Republican former President Donald Trump because its voting preferences could swing either way.
Polls show a very tight race overall with a handful of swing states likely to determine the winner. Hurricane Helene, which killed more than 200 people across six states and caused billions of dollars in damage, has sparked questions on how it might impact voter turnout.
Harvey Neal, a 71-year-old retiree, voted at the lone early voting site in Hendersonville, North Carolina, as a steady stream of voters filed in and out of the centre yesterday morning.
Neal cast his vote for Harris. “She’s young, she’s a Democrat,” he said. “And, you know, what’s the alternative?” Neal considers himself relatively fortunate following the hurricane as nothing hit his house, though he had been without power for four or five days.
First-time voter Trevor Miller, a 21-year-old student, said he voted for Trump. “I just want to be able to live the best way possible, and I felt like with my vote that could happen.”
Trump and Harris are in a dead heat in North Carolina, with Trump showing 48 per cent support in state polls, versus 47.5pc for Harris, according to poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight. Some of the state’s hardest hit counties lean both Republican and Democratic.
For instance, Buncombe County – home to the city of Asheville – supported President Joe Biden in the 2020 election versus Trump, while neighbouring Yancey County favoured Trump.
North Carolina’s state elections board has spent weeks assessing storm damage to polling locations. Yesterday, 76 early voting sites were set to open to voters in the 25 western North Carolina counties listed in the federal disaster declaration. That compares to 80 planned before the storm.
Early voting has been the most popular way for North Carolinians to cast a ballot in both the 2020 and 2016 elections, according to the state. Early voting started on Tuesday in Georgia, another closely contested state that was hit by storm damage.
Still, near polling sites in western North Carolina were reminders of the destruction the region has faced, with trees uprooted and debris piled on the sides of roads.
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