Ron Grindstaff, right, comforts his wife, Marie, as they remove belongings from their home in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 30, 2024 in Old Fort, North Carolina. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)
With so many voters displaced after Helene in the swing state of North Carolina, election officials are receiving guidance from a state that has done this many times before— Louisiana.
Election Commissioner Sherri Wharton-Hadskey said Louisiana has had to implement more emergency voting procedures than any other state following disastrous storms.
When there’s a natural disaster and voters are displaced, officials will distribute voting information to shelters and other places that provide emergency assistance that shows residents how to take part in the election process.
“Right after Katrina, we saw elderly people in shelters who were taken out of their homes in pajamas. They did not have their medicine, they did not have their eyeglasses and things like that,” she said. “Being able to move quickly and understand what the needs are to conduct the election is so critical in an emergency circumstance.”
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In 2020, Louisiana implemented emergency voting procedures after Hurricanes Laura and Delta, and election officials had to postpone the presidential primary due to the pandemic and adopted new COVID-19 protocols.
“And Zeta hit five days before the actual presidential election. We had generators, we had makeshift lights, everything to set up,” said Wharton-Hadskey. “The very first thing you’re thinking about is loss of life. And they are still working towards trying to help rescue people and set up areas for emergency procedures and not just with the election.”
Wharton-Hadskey said her counterparts in the Tar Heel state are extremely knowledgeable and they want to hold a safe and secure election.
“I feel for them, I pray for them, but I’m absolutely happy to be able to assist them in any way we can with the things that our state has learned on how to handle these processes,” said Wharton-Hadskey. “I feel confident that they will be able to pull this off. It’s just going to be very, very hard for them.”
Wharton-Hadskey says she’s consulted North Carolina lawmakers on emergency voting procedures for the Nov. 5 election. They’re holding a special session next week to vote on legislation for those procedures.