The North Carolina NAACP announced Monday that it would facilitate providing absentee ballot applications to registered voters in Hurricane Florence-impacted counties.
“It is imperative that while our communities struggle to recover from the devastating flooding and other destruction from this storm, citizen’s right to vote should not be impaired,” said the Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman, President of the organization. “The NAACP has long advocated for the right to vote and we know from the experience of Hurricane Matthew in 2016 that flood-impacted areas had depressed voter turnout.”
The counties hit hardest by Hurricane Florence have some of the largest percentages of African-American and Latino populations in the state, according to a news release from the NAACP.
The State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement was conducting preliminary assessments of storm damage Monday, reaching out to all 100 county board of elections directors for updates on conditions on the ground.
“As you probably know, flooding is expected to get worse in some areas before it gets better,” said spokesman Pat Gannon in an email.
State Board Executive Director Kim Westbrook Strach also sent a letter Monday to all five political party directors to help address upcoming challenges as a result of the hurricane.
“Our thoughts are with so many affected by Hurricane Florence across our state,” the letter states. “Like you, we are closely monitoring the evolving situation as we work to guarantee the continuity of elections administration through this period of disruption. As party leaders, you are often first to hear of disruptions affecting particular communities. We want to partner with you to address challenges that may impact critical components of election administration and deadlines over the coming weeks.”
Most county boards of elections have been and will continue to send absentee ballots to military and overseas voters who have requested them, according to the State Board. Its office is stepping in to send out ballots for several counties that are unable to do so because their operations are affected by flooding, power and internet outages or inaccessible due to the storm.
“We are assessing emergency options, and our team is committed to assisting county boards and voters in the affected areas,” Strach said.
Lenoir County was one of the hardest hit areas by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and is again facing widespread flooding after Hurricane Florence. It is too early to tell how county voting will be affected from this weather event, but you can read more about how flooding affected early voting there in 2016 here.
The NAACP is planning to try and offset early voting issues by encouraging absentee voting. According to the State Board, any registered North Carolina voter can request an absentee ballot by mail, and no excuse is needed to vote by absentee.
“To request an absentee ballot, complete the North Carolina Absentee Ballot Request Form,” according to the State Board. “The Absentee Ballot Request Form may only be signed by the voter or a voter’s near relative or legal guardian. According to the law, a ‘near relative’ can be any of the following: spouse, sibling, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, stepparent, or stepchild of the voter. A completed Absentee Ballot Request Form may be scanned and emailed, faxed, or mailed to the county board of elections.”
Anyone not registered to vote at their current address may send in their updated voter registration form along with the absentee ballot application, but that must be done by Friday, October 12 — the last day to register by mail to vote in the November 6 election this year.
Spearman said the absentee ballot campaign is keeping with the organization’s commitment to civic engagement.
The State Board is also reminding voters that they can vote by mail (with no excuse needed); vote early in person from Oct. 17 through Nov. 3; vote on Election Day, November 6. The regular voter registration deadline is 5 p.m. October 12. Eligible individuals may also register during the early voting period.
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