Dear Friend,

Today is the first day of early voting and the effects of Hurricane Helene may make it more difficult to exercise our constitutional right and obligation to vote than it has in the past.

The impacts of Helene have been far reaching, including by impeding our civic duty to vote, so I hope the following information will be helpful as you make the necessary plans to guarantee your voice is heard.

Absentee Voting

• Citizens who are displaced can request that an absentee ballot be delivered to their new location.
• Citizens who have already requested an absentee ballot and need it sent to a new location can contact their respective county board of elections to re-issue a ballot to the new location.
• Citizens can request an absentee ballot on the North Carolina Absentee Ballot Portal linked here.
• The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 5:00 p.m. the Tuesday before Election Day.

Early Voting

• In-person early voting begins today, October 17 and ends 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 2.
• Find early voting sites and schedules in your county on the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) website, linked here.

Voter Photo ID

• Citizens who have lost a photo ID due to Hurricane Helene can fill out a Photo ID Exception Form at their local voting site or send the completed form back with their absentee ballot.
  • A blank Exception Form will arrive with the absentee packet.
    • Check the box for “Exception 3: Victim of a Natural Disaster.”
    • Make sure to sign the form.
• Other avenues to obtain a valid photo ID are listed below:
  • Go to one's county board of elections office.
    • Registered voters can get their photos taken and print an acceptable ID on the spot.
    • For details, go to the Get a Free Voter Photo ID page through the NC State Board of Elections, linked here.
  • Get a free ID from the closest NCDMV office.
• For details about North Carolina’s photo ID requirement, including a list of all acceptable IDs, visit BringItNC.gov, linked here.

Whether it’s voting in person, by mail, or through early voting options, I urge you to plan ahead. For any additional questions on voting post-hurricane, please contact your county Board of Elections, as this is the best place to get any questions answered.

For folks who have experienced losses from Hurricane Helene, there are FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers in our district that serve as a one-stop-shop with representatives from federal agencies, including FEMA and SBA, to help constituents with filing for benefits and resources.

The following FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers are open seven days a week to assist Western North Carolinians who have experienced losses from Hurricane Helene.

• Buncombe County
  • A.C. Reynolds High School, 1 Rocket Dr., Asheville, NC 28803
    • Daily hours: 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
    • A Comfort Care Center will also be available at this location where survivors can shower, do laundry and use other services.
    • The Asheville Social Security office remains closed due to a lack of power and water.
      • The Social Security Administration is maintaining staff at the Buncombe County Disaster Recovery Center until the Asheville office reopens.
• Henderson County
  • 2111 Asheville Hwy., Hendersonville, NC 28791
    
    • Daily hours beginning today, October 17: 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
      
• Jackson County
  • Jackson County Annex Building, 198 WBI Dr., Sylva, NC 28779
    • Daily hours: 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
• McDowell County
  • McDowell County Senior Center, 100 Spaulding Rd., Marion, NC 28752
    • Daily hours: 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
• Transylvania County
  • Community Services Building, 106 E. Morgan St., Brevard, NC 28712
    • Daily hours: 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
      

With my warmest regards,

Chuck Edwards
Member of Congress