Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on the deepest red areas of North Carolina. Hundreds are dead and missing in the region. Destroyed roads and bridges and lack of water and electricity will make voting a challenge in a region that contributed a net of 231,000 votes for Donald Trump’s 2020 margin of 74,000 votes in the state.

With early voting set to begin on Oct. 17, the storm’s aftermath could have significant electoral implications. Right now, 61 early voting sites are affected, and it remains nearly impossible to access parts of Western North Carolina. Infrastructure is expected to remain down for several weeks, extending well into the early voting period. (RELATED: CHRISTIAN WHITON: Vance Narrowly Lost The Debate — But It Won’t Matter)

The Democratic response to the hurricane’s voting challenges will reportedly include expanding mail-in voting, using drop boxes, and setting up pop-up voting sites. There are also new rules being considered regarding provisional ballots to accommodate those displaced by the disaster.

However, the concern is that measures designed to help voters in hurricane-affected areas might be applied across the state, particularly in densely populated regions that are less affected, creating the potential for partisan advantage. There is a high probability of a sue-and-settle lawsuit on 14th Amendment equal protection grounds brought by the........

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