Western North Carolina sees record early voting despite Helene damages, adjustments

When Helene destroyed many parts of Western North Carolina nearly six weeks ago, voter turnout for the 2024 election was up in the air.

"Almost immediately after the storm cleared, I started to think about what this would do for democracy," WCU political analyst Dr. Chris Cooper said. "People have done studies of previous storms. If you look at Katrina, Hurricane Michael, it appears that this mattered. In other words, voting was down after those elections."

In multiple Western North Carolina counties, records were set for early voter turnout. In Buncombe County, over 116,000 people have already cast their vote.

"I'm in awe that even amidst this storm recovery, as we grieve what we won't get back and gather ourselves, that voting is still a priority," said Corinne Duncan,county director of elections, during Monday morning's county briefing.

The 13 counties most affected by Helene are punching at or a little bit above their weight in terms of voter turnout," Cooper said. "It's been remarkable to watch our county and State Board of Elections, as well as the general assembly, come together to try and make sure people have the right to vote.

Of the total registered voters in Buncombe County, over 53% percent took part in early voting. That was a record by around 10,000 votes.

The same can be said in other parts of the region.

"We've voted 8,541 in total," Yancey County Board of Elections director Mary Beth Tipton told News 13. "That's only early voting. That's not counting returned mail-in absentee ballots."

That's over 58% of registered voters that have cast their ballots. Yancey County is also still reeling from heavily damaged roads and infrastructure after Helene.

When it comes to how Helene has impacted the 2024 election, it does not show when it comes to early voting. One reason why is that counties have brought in resources like pop-up polling tents.

"These pop-up precincts are key," Cooper said. "Also, allowing counties to change their polling places was key. Adding more sites to Henderson and McDowell County, for example. I think it's very possible that Election Day is going to look very different. We shouldn't be spiking the football yet on getting through Helene with good rates of voter turnout."

It is a turnout that may swing because of shifting polling sites.

"Seventeen of our 80 early voting locations have temporarily changed," Duncan said Monday. "They're either combined with a nearby location or are in a new location."

"We've done as close to where people are used to voting," Tipton said. "If they're not able to vote in that facility, we did it to as close as to where we could possibly get it."

Board of elections officials and Cooper are hoping the high turnout does not stop on Tuesday – Election Day.

Every vote counts," Tipton said. "We need everybody participating. Voting isn't something you need to take for granted.

To check the status of your polling site for Election Day, click .