Helene Disaster Recovery

Voters Affected by Helene

Keep reading or click the links below to jump to specific parts of this page to learn about Helene recovery and its impact on voters in the affected areas.

Revisit this page throughout the 2024 general election for additional resources as they become available.

Emergency Designation

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared Tropical Storm Helene a disaster on Sept. 28, 2024. The designated disaster area includes 25 counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Area across three counties in North Carolina. More areas may be added later based on damage assessments.

Map showing the FEMA designated disaster areas in Western North Carolina as described in the list.
Designated disaster areas in Western North Carolina (Source: FEMA)
  1. Alexander
  2. Alleghany
  3. Ashe
  4. Avery
  5. Buncombe
  6. Burke
  7. Caldwell
  8. Catawba
  9. Cherokee (Tribal Area)
  10. Clay
  11. Cleveland
  12. Gaston
  13. Graham (Tribal Area)
  14. Haywood
  15. Henderson
  16. Jackson
  17. Lincoln
  18. Macon
  19. Madison
  20. McDowell
  21. Mitchell
  22. Polk
  23. Rutherford
  24. Swain (Tribal Area)
  25. Transylvania
  26. Watauga
  27. Wilkes
  28. Yancey

By the Numbers

Here is registered voter and absentee ballot data through Sept. 30, 2024, from North Carolina’s 25 counties in the designated Helene disaster area:

  • Total registered voters (25 disaster counties): 1,275,054
    • Breakdown by party:
      • Constitution Party: 49
      • Democratic Party: 292,836
      • Green Party: 552
      • Justice for All Party: 27
      • Libertarian Party: 8,403
      • No Labels Party: 2,823
      • Republican Party: 480,097
      • Unaffiliated: 490,140
      • We the People Party: 127
    • Absentee ballots sent: 37,820
    • Absentee ballots returned: 635
    • Absentee ballots outstanding: 37,185

County Boards of Elections Office Closures

The North Carolina county boards of elections offices in the FEMA designated disaster area are open and operational, except for the following list. We are keeping track of their closure, phone, and internet status and will update the information until all offices are open and fully operational.

  1. Avery: Closed
  2. Buncombe: Closed
  3. Burke: Closed
  4. Henderson: Closed
  5. Jackson: Open (No internet)
  6. Madison: Closed
  7. Mitchell: Closed
  8. Polk: Closed
  9. Transylvania: Closed
  10. Watauga: Closed
  11. Yancey: Closed

Last date of update: 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024.

Find contact information for your county board of elections office: County Boards of Elections Search.

Tips for Voting After Helene

Please read the following guidance, published on Oct. 1, 2024.

Check Your Registration

Any North Carolina voter can check their voter registration status using the Voter Search tool at vt.ncsbe.gov.

Absentee Voting

  • If you are displaced, you can request an absentee ballot to be delivered to your new location.
  • If you have already requested an absentee ballot and need it to be sent to a new location, contact your county board of elections to spoil your current ballot and reissue a ballot to your new location.
  • Request an absentee ballot online at votebymail.ncsbe.gov.

Voter Registration

  • Friday, Oct. 11, is the deadline to register or to change your registration to a new location for the 2024 general election.
  • Register online at payments.ncdot.gov if you have a North Carolina driver’s license or other NCDMV ID. Or download and print the registration form at ncsbe.gov.
  • You can also register at an early voting site with an official document showing your voting address.

Voter Residency

  • In North Carolina, you must have lived at your residence as of 30 days before the election to vote there — by Sunday, Oct. 6.
  • If you move by Oct. 6 with no intent to return (or you’re uncertain), you can register to vote in your new location.
  • If you move after Oct. 6, even with no plans to return, you should vote using your prior residence.
  • If you are only moving temporarily and plan to return, keep voting using your prior residence.

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