Residents wait in line to enter a polling station on the first day of early voting in person in a region still severely affected by Hurricane Helene, in Asheville, North Carolina, USA (REUTERS/Jonathan Drake REUTERS/Jonathan Drake)
On Thursday, the polls opened for early voting in North Carolina – a decisive battleground in the US presidential election on November 5 – just weeks after the hurricane Helene will leave some residents even without electricity, running water or telephone service.
North Carolina could be crucial in determining a winner in the race between the vice president of USAthe democrat Kamala Harrisand former Republican president Donald Trumpsince their voting preferences could tip the balance towards one side or the other. Polls show a very close race overall, with several swing states that will likely determine the winner.
He Hurricane Helenewhich caused the death of more than 200 people in six states and billions of dollars in damageshas raised questions about its possible impact on electoral participation.
View of the damage in areas affected by storms after hurricanes Milton and Helen (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)
Harvey Neala 71-year-old retiree, voted in the single center of early voting Hendersonville, North Carolina.
Neal voted for Harris. “He’s young, he’s a Democrat”said. “And, you know, what’s the alternative?”. Neal He considers himself relatively lucky after the hurricane, since nothing hit his house, although he was without power for four or five days.
Trevor Millera 21-year-old student voting for the first time, said he voted for Trump. “I just want to be able to live in the best way possible, and I felt that with my vote that could happen”
Early voting in person begins in North Carolina (REUTERS/Jonathan Drake)
Trump y Harris are in a tie in North Carolinacon Trump showing a 48% of support in state polls, compared to 47,5% of Harrisaccording to the survey compiler FiveThirtyEight.
Some of the state’s hardest-hit counties lean both Republican and Democratic. For example, the county of Buncombe -where is the city of Asheville– supported the president Joe Biden in the 2020 elections against Trumpwhile the neighboring county of Yancey favored Trump.
The state election board North Carolina has been assessing the damage caused by the storm to the polling stations for weeks. On Thursday, 76 early voting locations were ready to open to voters in the 25 western counties of North Carolina listed in the federal disaster declaration. Compared to the 80 predicted before the storm.
Voters mark their ballots in Marion, North Carolina (Reuters)
He early vote has been the most popular way so that the inhabitants of North Carolina cast their vote in both the 2020 and 2016 elections, depending on the state. Early voting began Tuesday in Georgiaother hotly contested state that was hit by storm damage.
Near voting centers in western North Carolina There were reminders of the destruction the region has suffered, with trees uprooted and debris piled up on the sides of the roads. In Swannanoabuildings were still reduced to rubble and a house-sized chunk of soil was sunken along a main street.
Gene Dickinsona 75-year-old resident of Ashevillesaid he had been planning to vote for Trump this year, but He’s been too busy helping deliver supplies to those in need since the hurricane to think about voting.
“With everything that’s going on, I haven’t even thought about that,” he said outside a FEMA recovery center. “I’ve heard about it, but we don’t have television or anything.”
Volunteers bring solar energy to North Carolina communities still without electricity after Hurricane Helene (AP Photo/Gabriela Aoun Angueria)
In Burnsville, Tina Veitcha 49-year-old graphic designer, said the road to her family’s home was destroyed by the storm. But one of the reasons he has stayed in the area, instead of seeking refuge with his family in Floridait is to be able to vote.
On Wednesday he said that the process to vote by mail was too difficult: “The number of obstacles that had to be overcome to do it was not worth it… So we said to ourselves: ‘We will stay at least until tomorrow and vote’”
(With information from Reuters)
