Swing states scramble to keep elections on track in hurricanes’ wake

Swing states scramble to keep elections on track in hurricanes’ wake.

Hurricane season has put immense pressure on voters and election workers already facing an extraordinary amount of stress and logistical hurdles.

Elections workers are scrambling to get polling locations back online while dealing with challenging situations in their own lives.

North Carolina officials are still figuring out how many of the 270 Election Day voting sites in the hardest-hit 13 counties will be usable, and how many they’ll need to close or combine with other sites.

North Carolina State Board of Elections unanimously passed an emergency resolution on Monday to make it easier to vote in the 13 counties most damaged by the storm.

The biggest change is allowing people to hand-deliver their mail ballot anywhere in the state.

In 2022 , after Hurricane Ian slammed into southwest Florida , Gov. Ron DeSantis used his emergency powers to allow three counties all Republican strongholds to consolidate polling places, extend early voting, and loosen rules around mail ballot requests.

Florida election officials will soon face similar challenges as those faced by their colleagues to the north.