North Carolina set a record for the first day of early voting, but the effects of Hurricane Helen could still cause a decline in turnout across the state, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
More than 353,000 ballots were cast across the state Thursday, less than a month after Hurricane Helen devastated the western part of the state in September. According to In the New York Times. North Carolina political experts warn it’s too soon to celebrate record turnout, adding that voter participation is likely still sluggish in towns. strike The hardest part was the hurricane.
Christopher Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, said: explained He said the early voting numbers should not be taken as an indication that Herren had no influence on voter turnout, and that using early voting numbers to predict election results was “throwing a fishing rod into the Home Run Derby.” It’s like bringing it in, and it’s just wrong,” he added. It’s a tool for work. ” Cooper said Herren’s plight could affect Democratic turnout in Asheville, North Carolina, where Herren was particularly hard hit.
People enter a polling place to vote during the second day of early voting at a polling place in Asheville, North Carolina, on October 18, 2024. (Photo by Alison Joyce/AFP)
“I know that thousands of North Carolinians lost so much in this storm. Their lives will never be the same after this tragedy,” the State Board of Elections said. Executive Director Karen Bell said. said at a press conference Thursday. “But one thing Helen did not take away from the people of western North Carolina is the right to vote in this important election.” (Related: National Guard quashes viral rumor that Kamala Harris poses with hurricane relief)
According to the New York Times, about 33,000 votes were cast on the first day of early voting in Asheville in the last presidential election. In this election, only 8,200 people reached the ballot box. Important infrastructure such as roads has been destroyed, mailing service and voting station Voting has become even more difficult.
According to the New York Times, the North Carolina State Board of Elections announced that 10 early voting locations in the western part of the state were either damaged or have access issues.
North Carolina’s previous turnout record was set in 2020, with 348,000 votes cast on the first day of early voting, The New York Times reported. Former President Donald Trump won the state by a 1.3% margin in the election.
There is currently a tight race between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump in the state, with Trump holding a one-point lead. According to to the average of RealClearPolling.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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