Numerous social media users have noted that Hurricane Helene caused a path of destruction through Republican-majority areas, particularly in North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. “FEMA’s failure to get aid to communities devastated by the hurricane has understandably sparked fear and frustration. I heard an NPR host express concern that this incompetence might benefit Trump at the polls. But as I reflected on it, a different thought crossed my mind,” X user ‘amuse’ wrote. “While the survivors of this disaster might be more inclined to vote against Kamala Harris, it’s doubtful that many of them will be able to vote at all. These folks are in survival mode—how much effort will they be able to put into casting a ballot when they’re focused on rebuilding their lives?” the post added. ELECTION INTEGRITY: FEMA's failure to get aid to communities devastated by the hurricane has understandably sparked fear and frustration. I heard an NPR host express concern that this incompetence might benefit Trump at the polls. But as I reflected on it, a different thought… pic.twitter.com/qA2WHI6PCx — @amuse (@amuse) October 3, 2024 “If you’re curious how each county affected by Hurricane Helene voted in 2020 and how this might impact the 2024 election, here’s a breakdown of every county affected according to the White House, how they voted in 2020, and their population,” X user ‘SWAMPIST’ said. Florida (17 counties): Taylor County – Trump | Population: 21,796Madison County – Trump | Population: 18,493Dixie County – Trump | Population: 16,759Levy County – Trump | Population: 42,915Wakulla County – Trump | Population: 33,739Jefferson County – Trump | Population:… — SWAMPIST (@swamp_ist) October 5, 2024 Florida (17 counties): Taylor County – Trump | Population: 21,796 Madison County – Trump | Population: 18,493 Dixie County – Trump | Population: 16,759 Levy County – Trump | Population: 42,915 Wakulla County – Trump | Population: 33,739 Jefferson County – Trump | Population: 14,043 Lafayette County – Trump | Population: 8,422 Suwannee County – Trump | Population: 44,317 Hamilton County – Trump | Population: 13,392 Gilchrist County – Trump | Population: 17,864 Columbia County – Trump | Population: 71,686 Union County – Trump | Population: 15,299 Baker County – Trump | Population: 28,259 Bradford County – Trump | Population: 28,303 Putnam County – Trump | Population: 73,321 Marion County – Trump | Population: 375,908 Alachua County – Biden | Population: 278,468 Total Population: 1,102,984 North Carolina (25 counties): Buncombe County – Biden | Population: 269,452Henderson County – Trump | Population: 116,747Haywood County – Trump | Population: 62,089Jackson County – Trump | Population: 44,098Macon County – Trump | Population: 37,749Transylvania County -… — SWAMPIST (@swamp_ist) October 5, 2024 Georgia Counties (41 total): Atkinson County – Trump | Population: 8,299 Ben Hill County – Trump | Population: 17,070 Berrien County – Trump | Population: 19,397 Brooks County – Trump | Population: 15,457 Burke County – Trump | Population: 24,796 Candler County – Trump | Population: 10,946 Columbia County – Trump | Population: 156,010 Echols County – Trump | Population: 4,021 Jeff Davis County – Trump | Population: 15,115 Jefferson County – Trump | Population: 15,709 Lanier County – Trump | Population: 10,423 Laurens County – Trump | Population: 47,547 Lowndes County – Trump | Population: 118,251 McDuffie County – Trump | Population: 21,875 Richmond County – Biden | Population: 206,607 Screven County – Trump | Population: 13,037 Telfair County – Trump | Population: 15,860 Toombs County – Trump | Population: 26,830 Treutlen County – Trump | Population: 6,406 Ware County – Trump | Population: 36,251 Warren County – Biden | Population: 5,254 Wheeler County – Trump | Population: 7,855 Wilkes County – Trump | Population: 9,777 Bacon County – Trump | Population: 11,140 Brantley County – Trump | Population: 19,109 Coffee County – Trump | Population: 43,273 Cook County – Trump | Population: 17,304 Emanuel County – Trump | Population: 22,768 Evans County – Trump | Population: 10,120 Glascock County – Trump | Population: 3,062 Jenkins County – Trump | Population: 8,674 Pierce County – Trump | Population: 19,716 Tattnall County – Trump | Population: 25,200 Towns County – Trump | Population: 12,493 Wayne County – Trump | Population: 30,144 Wilkinson County – Trump | Population: 8,728 Appling County – Trump | Population: 18,444 Charlton County – Trump | Population: 12,171 Clinch County – Trump | Population: 6,749 Long County – Trump | Population: 19,559 Montgomery County – Trump | Population: 9,123 Total Population of Impacted Georgia Counties: ~910,112 North Carolina (25 counties): Buncombe County – Biden | Population: 269,452 Henderson County – Trump | Population: 116,747 Haywood County – Trump | Population: 62,089 Jackson County – Trump | Population: 44,098 Macon County – Trump | Population: 37,749 Transylvania County – Trump | Population: 34,385 Madison County – Trump | Population: 21,193 Yancey County – Trump | Population: 18,470 Mitchell County – Trump | Population: 14,903 Swain County – Trump | Population: 14,142 Graham County – Trump | Population: 8,441 Cherokee County – Trump | Population: 28,774 Clay County – Trump | Population: 11,089 Polk County – Trump | Population: 20,724 Rutherford County – Trump | Population: 64,444 Cleveland County – Trump | Population: 99,519 Lincoln County – Trump | Population: 90,579 Gaston County – Trump | Population: 227,943 Mecklenburg County – Biden | Population: 1,115,482 Rowan County – Trump | Population: 146,875 Davidson County – Trump | Population: 167,609 Guilford County – Biden | Population: 541,299 Alamance County – Trump | Population: 169,509 Total Population of Impacted North Carolina Counties: ~3,764,545 Here's the margin of victory from these states in 2020: Florida:Trump won by 371,686 votes Georgia:Biden won by 11,779 votes North Carolina:Trump won by 74,481 votes Tennessee:Trump won by 695,626 votes South Carolina:Trump won by 297,490 votes Virginia:Biden won by… — SWAMPIST (@swamp_ist) October 5, 2024 Tennessee (8 counties): Unicoi County – Trump | Population: 17,928 Greene County – Trump | Population: 69,069 Carter County – Trump | Population: 56,356 Johnson County – Trump | Population: 17,788 Washington County – Trump | Population: 133,001 Sullivan County – Trump | Population: 158,163 Cocke County – Trump | Population: 36,004 Hancock County – Trump | Population: 6,517 Total Population: 494,826 South Carolina (13 counties): Charleston County – Biden | Population: 411,406 Horry County – Trump | Population: 351,029 Georgetown County – Trump | Population: 63,404 Beaufort County – Trump | Population: 199,701 Jasper County – Trump | Population: 31,624 Colleton County – Trump | Population: 37,677 Dorchester County – Trump | Population: 167,852 Berkeley County – Trump | Population: 236,701 Florence County – Trump | Population: 137,059 Williamsburg County – Biden | Population: 29,273 Marion County – Trump | Population: 29,183 Dillon County – Trump | Population: 28,292 Marlboro County – Trump | Population: 26,667 Total Population: 1,749,868 Virginia (counties affected not specified but presumed): Wise County – Trump | Population: 35,637 Dickenson County – Trump | Population: 14,124 Buchanan County – Trump | Population: 20,625 Total Population: 70,386 Here’s the margin of victory from these states in 2020: Florida: Trump won by 371,686 votes Georgia: Biden won by 11,779 votes North Carolina: Trump won by 74,481 votes Tennessee: Trump won by 695,626 votes South Carolina: Trump won by 297,490 votes Virginia: Biden won by 451,138 votes “For those keeping score at home, this storm makes it plausible and easy to steal this election in Georgia and North Carolina, without much suspicion. Virginia is much more in play than people think as well. If you think the regime doesn’t see this as their cover – time to wake up,” SWAMPIST wrote. Critical Impact (Red Zone): 1.Ashe County – Trump | Population: 26,5772.Watauga County – Biden | Population: 54,0863.Avery County – Trump | Population: 17,8064.Mitchell County – Trump | Population: 14,9035.Yancey County – Trump | Population: 18,4706.Madison County – Trump |… pic.twitter.com/DjiZOhCP7d — SWAMPIST (@swamp_ist) October 5, 2024 POLITICO acknowledged the aftermath from Hurricane Helene could sway the 2024 presidential election. “Helene hit Trump strongholds in Georgia and North Carolina. It could swing the election,” the outlet wrote. “Extend the election in these counties This is ludicrous to imagine there can be a legitimate election where this is going on. Governors must show they are committed to democratic values,” Jack Posobiec commented. Extend the election in these counties This is ludicrous to imagine there can be a legitimate election where this is going on Governors must show they are committed to democratic values https://t.co/6iuPXaofRL — Jack Poso (@JackPosobiec) October 5, 2024 From POLITICO: Hurricane Helene hit especially hard in heavily Republican areas of Georgia and North Carolina — a fact that could work to Donald Trump’s disadvantage in the two swing states. Research has shown that major disasters can influence both voter turnout and voter preference. And Helene has pushed this contest into novel territory: It’s the first catastrophic event in U.S. history to hit two critical swing states within six weeks of a presidential election, based on a POLITICO’s E&E News analysis of data compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The challenge for Trump: The parts of western North Carolina and eastern Georgia that were flooded by the monster storm are largely Republican. In 2020, he won 61 percent of the vote in the North Carolina counties that were declared a disaster after Helene. He won 54 percent of the vote in Georgia’s disaster counties. Both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris this week visited Georgia, a state that President Joe Biden won by just 11,779 votes in 2020. Georgia and North Carolina each have 16 electoral votes, and polls show that Trump is leading Harris by about 1 percentage point in each state, well within the margin of error. “There’s going to be a lot of [voting] alterations, and it probably is going to affect turnout,” said Andy Jackson, director of the John Locke Foundation’s Civitas Center for Public Integrity, a free-market think tank in North Carolina. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took the initiative to pass an executive order to ensure counties impacted by Hurricane Helene have voting access. Gov. DeSantis Signs Executive Order To Ensure Hurricane Helene Victims Have Voting Access WNCT 9 reports: Hurricane Helene has thrown up new hurdles for voters and election officials alike in Georgia and North Carolina, threatening disruptions to the voting process in two of the most critical battleground states. Flooding, stormy conditions and power outages have displaced residents, interrupted postal services and impacted election offices across the Southeast. The fallout could complicate early and mail voting in some places and demoralize voters from casting their ballots. Helene “creates unexpected, substantial new barriers to voting,” said Michael Morley, a law professor at Florida State University who has studied elections in the wake of natural disasters and other emergencies. “It imposes a lot more unexpected burdens on election officials, puts more strain on the election administration system, and it requires election officials to take emergency steps [to] mitigate the impact of the hurricane on both the election as a whole, and more specifically, on people’s ability to participate in the election,” Morley said. Helene battered the Southeast last week with heavy rains, winds and flooding. The storm has killed more than 200 people, The Associated Press reported Friday, and roughly half the victims are said to be in North Carolina. Many residents were still without water and electricity this week, and rescue crews were still helping people stranded or missing in the wreckage. “The destruction is unprecedented and this level of uncertainty this close to Election Day is daunting,” said North Carolina’s executive director of the State Board of Elections, Karen Brinson Bell, in a press conference on Tuesday, calling the storm’s impact on the western Tar Heel State “like nothing we’ve seen in our lifetimes.”