As North Carolina begins voting, the devastating effects of the hurricane make voting difficult

The Postal Service notifies poll workers daily about roads that are blocked and not allowing deliveries. Officials then compare the information with their list of people who have requested mail-in ballots and contact them to determine the best way to get ballots to them.

“We are doing everything we can to find voters whose ballots may be missing,” Gannon said.

The state also plans to set up 15 tents across the region before the election. The hardened temporary structures include bathrooms and security systems. It's not yet clear where exactly they're going, but several of them are expected in Avery County, one of several western North Carolina counties near Asheville that are scrambling to update their voting plans.

“We had to expand our polling locations so people could have access again,” said John Anglin, the Yancey County GOP chairman. “This is not a partisan issue. This is an American problem.”

In previous years, rural counties often only had one early voting location. This year, some have expanded the number of sites to include hard-hit areas still recovering from Helene. In Avery County, where 76% of registered voters showed up for the 2020 election, officials did everything they could to ensure a smooth first day of early voting. Joseph Trivette, the county's deputy elections director, said the county had two early voting sites for the first time after Helene damaged polling places in 14 of 19 precincts.

State election officials said they had to deal with an unprecedented scenario in 2020 with the Covid pandemic. But this year is different: they had less time to prepare.

“We are in the second round of different events in a presidential election,” Trivette said. “But we just adapt.”

The political consequences of another failed election are unclear. Asheville is considered one of the most liberal counties in the state and is expected to lean heavily for Vice President Kamala Harris, but surrounding rural counties are expected to largely support former President Donald Trump. Low voter turnout could make the difference for both campaigns.

As early voting begins, election officials say they realize the stakes are high. In Newland, they're opening a new site at Riverside Elementary, near one of the hardest-hit communities – and using Starlink satellite service to help line up for three voting precincts, now consolidated into one polling place.

“My grandma always told me how important it is to vote,” Trivette said. “To be a part of this now and help people vote just means a lot more.”