As Helene recovers, Asheville voters show up in droves to cast their ballots

In the first four hours after the polls opened, more than 11,000 people cast ballots in Buncombe County, NC – one of the communities hit hard by Hurricane Helene in late September.

Although the province is still recovering, 80 polling places were operational as of 6:30 a.m., staffed by about 500 poll workers.

Helene killed at least thirty people in Buncombe County and destroyed thousands of homes, leaving an estimated 12,000 residents unemployed, North Carolina Public Radio reported.

North Carolina is an important swing state. Asheville, in Buncombe County, is a Democratic stronghold. But overall, most of the affected counties are conservative and supported Trump by large margins in the 2020 election.