Trump campaign seeks to help provide transportation to the polls for those affected by the hurricane

This Monday, Donald Trump's campaign announced it is considering offering transportation to North Carolina voters affected by the hurricanes Helene and Milton, with the goal of ensuring their access to the polls.

Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for the Trump campaign, explained in a recent interview that it is critical to Trump that no voter be disenfranchised. Therefore, her team sent a letter to state and local officials in North Carolina requesting the creation of as many accessible polling places as possible in the affected areas. In addition, Leavitt mentioned that they are exploring transportation options to assist voters who need to get to the polls.

"Our campaign is reviewing how we can possibly provide transportation for voters who need to get to the polls and ensuring they have access to the ballot box (...)They have faced this destruction through no fault of their own. And this is Trump country (...) We’re focused on taking care of them and making sure that their right to vote still remains even in the wake of this disaster," she added.

Lara Trump, co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), also recently revealed that the committee sent a memo to North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and the state's General Assembly, presenting 10 recommendations to ensure that voters affected by the disaster have access to the polls. "We don't want people who have gone through a horrific tragedy like a hurricane who have really lost so much already to lose their ability to vote in this election," Lara Trump said.

Electoral context in North Carolina

With nearly 1.3 million registered voters in the 25 western North Carolina counties designated as a federal disaster area in the wake of Hurricane Helene, access to the polls has become a crucial issue. In the 2020 election, Trump won North Carolina by a margin of 75,000 votes.

Opening of early voting sites

Despite the difficulties, officials with the North Carolina State Board of Elections announced that they expect 75 of the 80 planned early voting sites in the affected areas to reopen Thursday, when early voting begins in the state.

Meanwhile, election officials continue to coordinate efforts with the North Carolina Emergency Management Agency and FEMA to secure needed resources, such as portable toilets and generators, for the 540 polling places in the affected area.

The state legislature has approved $5 million in emergency funding for the State Board of Elections, which will allow counties to modify early voting days and locations as needed.