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It’s been a little over a month since Hurricane Helene ripped through the southeastern United States, claiming hundreds of lives and causing an estimated $53 billion dollars in damages. In addition to being a record-breaking storm in its own right, Helene was also the first hurricane in American history to hit two battleground states within weeks of a major election.

In North Carolina, one of the seven swing states likely to determine the outcome of the presidential race this week, Helene’s destruction displaced thousands of people, caused hundreds of road closures, and disrupted mail just weeks before early voting in the state began. More than 20 post offices were still redirecting mail as of October 22.

North Carolina’s election board quickly took action to ensure people affected by the storm maintained their right to vote, approving a resolution to extend early voting deadlines and loosen some restrictions around absentee ballots, among other actions, in the 13 western counties impacted most severely by Helene. Despite these measures, a question still loomed: Would the storm dampen voter turnout?

As early voting wraps up, data being released by local officials in Helene’s path indicate that voter enthusiasm has not waned. Indeed, an inverse trend may be under way. North Carolina and Georgia, the other battleground state affected by Helene, have reported record-breaking early voting numbers: Voter turnout has surpassed 2012, 2016, and, in North Carolina, 2020 — a pandemic election year when many people were voting early to avoid crowds.

The North Carolina Board of Elections announced that there were 4 million ballots cast in the state as of 2 p.m. Friday, November 1, about 51 percent of North Carolina’s total registered voters and the state’s biggest year for early voting ever.

“It looks like even the western North Carolina counties that were most affected by Hurricane Helene do........

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