Helene and the Election
Will voting be disrupted in parts of GA and NC?
Via Politico: Helene hit Trump strongholds in Georgia and North Carolina. It could swing the election.
The challenge for Trump: The parts of western North Carolina and eastern Georgia that were flooded by the monster storm are largely Republican. In 2020, he won 61 percent of the vote in the North Carolina counties that were declared a disaster after Helene. He won 54 percent of the vote in Georgia’s disaster counties.
[…]
State records show that nearly 40,000 absentee ballots were mailed to voters in the 25 North Carolina counties that were declared a disaster following Helene. Fewer than 1,000 have been returned.
In eastern Georgia’s heavily Democratic Richmond County, three of four early voting sites appear to be undamaged, county elections chief W. Travis Doss Jr. said Friday. Doss’ staff has also reached out to all 43 election day sites to determine their status, but has not heard back from about 30 of them due to power and internet outages.
[…]
When the North Carolina Legislature meets Wednesday, it could give counties money for emergency polling places and extend both the Oct. 11 registration deadline and the Election Day deadline for mail-in ballots to be received.
And in Georgia, where Monday is the last day to register to vote, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement that “physical infrastructure” will be in place when early voting starts Oct. 15. Counties “having to relocate early voting locations” must notify voters, Raffensperger added.
It is, of course, impossible to know what the effects will be. But the proximity to the elections coupled with the devastation and commensurate displacements of residences will surely mean many people will not vote. And in races that are this close, such disruptions will affect outcomes.
At a minimum, hopefully state and local authorities will do everything they can to ensure that citizens have access to the ballot box. Of course, other issues such as simply securing the personal well-being of those affected by the storm have to be the top priority. The general challenge of just getting access is a major issues at the moment.
Two other thoughts that in years past would not have needed to be considered.
- I have to wonder how Trump’s ongoing lies about the federal government’s response could sway voters.
- I fear that should Trump lose either state, the disaster will be used to fuel more lies and conspiracies about the election.
This whole situation is very much the post-truth/alternative facts era–despite easy access to quality reporting and information.
Also worth noting is that this is a clear example of the broader consequences of climate change.
There is more to Georgia than Helene, maybe corrupt shenanigans in some red counties also
“LinkProPublica“
The need to allow late mail votes from Trump areas in NC and GA will be interesting with the “vote counting completed after election day is invalid” spin the GOP has used the last two cycles
@Stormy Dragon: I suspect that Republicans are up to the task of memory holing their past utterances.
Soon to be Hurricane Milton says, “Don’t forget about Florida.” The same model that was predicting something Milton-like two weeks ago is hinting at another storm for Florida in about two more weeks.
Fundamental difference between the Democrats and the Trumpists: Dems will try to make sure people get to vote. If the roles were reversed, there would be no such help coming from Republicans.
It’s
funnyentirely predictable how the same people who view natural disasters hitting blue areas as signs of the divine will are entirely silent about how heavily red areas have been hit by a hurricane 3 times already this year (Debby, Francine and Helene) and Milton may quite possibly be number 4.@Moosebreath: When disaster hits blue areas, that’s punishment for tolerating homosexuality. When disaster hits red areas, that’s punishment for not forcing the blue areas to stop tolerating homosexuality. See, it all makes sense.
Have the various Secretaries of State for any of the affected states said anything? Have they asked for assistance? Are the state legislatures looking at legislation to help the voting in the disaster areas?
We are well into the election season, so they should already be in the process of early and mail in voting. I think it would be entirely appropriate to have FEMA do whatever they can to help out, but it has to start with the state.
Emergency polling places? Notarizing provisional ballots? Whatever they need.
@DrDaveT:
You have a diseased mind.
Democrats: Don’t play games with a crisis and FEMA confiscating private aid because equality.
Katrina Heck of a job Brownie. LOL.