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Nearly a fifth of North Carolina’s registered voters live in areas affected by Hurricane Helene, according to the state’s latest voter registration statistics.
There are 1,275,054 registered voters in counties where individuals can receive federal funding to help with recovery efforts after President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration in the state.
Of these voters, 292,836 are registered as Democrats, 480,097 as Republicans, and 490,140 are unaffiliated. The remaining voters are registered with third parties: Green, Justice for All, Libertarian, No Labels, and We The People.
These 25 jurisdictions make up a quarter of North Carolina’s counties.
There were 7,683,724 registered voters in North Carolina as of the reporting period ending on Sept. 28, according to the state board of elections.
It’s unclear how the storm will affect voting in the western part of North Carolina. The state elections board is holding an emergency meeting on Monday afternoon to discuss how to proceed.
Buncombe County, the largest in western North Carolina and home of Asheville, has 215,246 registered voters alone. Election workers there are continuing to drop absentee ballots in the mail and prioritizing the personal safety of election staff.
About 75,000 votes separated former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden in North Carolina’s 2020 presidential race.
With such a close margin, all votes will be crucial in November.