Helene Recovery and Voting

Voters Affected by Helene

Find information for North Carolina voters in the Helene disaster area during the 2024 general election. Continue reading, or click the links below to jump to specific parts of this page.

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

Tips for Voting in the 2024 General Election After Helene

Click the tabs for information about each topic.

Tab/Accordion Items

  • 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 the North Carolina Absentee Ballot Portal.

  • 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.

  • Any North Carolina voter can check their voter registration status using the Voter Search tool.

  • If you lost your photo ID due to Helene, you have options:
    • Fill out a Photo ID Exception Form at your voting site or send the form back with your absentee ballot. (A blank Exception Form will arrive with your absentee packet.) Check the box for “Exception 3: Victim of a Natural Disaster.” Make sure to sign the form.
    • Go to your county board of elections office. If you are a registered voter, they can take your photo and print an acceptable ID on the spot. For details, go to Get a Free Voter Photo ID.
    • Get a free ID from an NCDMV office in your area. For details, see State IDs | NCDMV.
  • For details about North Carolina’s photo ID requirement, including a list of all acceptable IDs, go to BringItNC.gov.

Emergency Designation

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

County Boards of Elections Office Closures

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 routinely until all offices are open and fully operational.

  1. Avery: Closed (Elections staff are working.)
  2. Buncombe: Closed (Elections staff are working.)
  3. Mitchell: Closed
  4. Watauga: Closed (Elections staff are taking calls (828-265-8061) and can meet by appointment.)
  5. Yancey: Closed

Last update: 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024.

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

By the Numbers

Here is registered voter and absentee ballot data through Oct. 1, 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: 38,628
    • Absentee ballots returned: 998
    • Absentee ballots outstanding: 37,630

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State Board Actions

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