Democrats made a motion to suspend the rules on the bill in the state House, but Republicans voted unanimously against the motion, stopping the bill from a final vote. According to Democratic State Representative Julie von Haefen, only one Republican, Representative Destin Hall, debated the motion, accusing Democrats of playing “partisan games.”
The state election board did grant some leeway to 13 counties affected by the storm. Voters in those counties can request mail-in ballots in person until November 4, the day before Election Day, and they’ll be able to drop off their ballots at any county board of elections in the state, or any of the polling stations in their county. But those ballots must still be received by 7:30 p.m. E.T. on November 5.
About 16.6 percent of North Carolina’s registered voters live in areas affected by Hurricane Helene, totaling 1,275,054 people in 25 counties. Of that number, 292,836 people are registered Democrats, 480,097 Republicans, and 490,140 unaffiliated. The rest of the voters are registered with third parties like the Green Party, Justice for All, Libertarian, No Labels, and We The People.