As western North Carolina continues to recover after Helene, election officials are working to ensure voters will still be able to cast their vote in the 2024 presidential election despite being affected by the storm. People affected by Helene can still cast their vote. The North Carolina State Board of Elections is gathering information from affected counties to assess the potential impact on absentee and in-person voting. Here is everything you need to know in order to vote in November: Voter Photo ID State law requires voters to show an acceptable form of photo identification when voting in person.  However, under state law, a voter who cannot show a form of ID will need to fill out a Photo ID Exception Form to explain why they cannot provide one. One of the exceptions to this is for voters who were affected by a natural disaster within 100 days of an election and resulted in a disaster declaration by the President or Governor. Helene resulted in 25 counties being under a disaster declaration: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee (Tribal Area), Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham (Tribal Area), Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain (Tribal Area), Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yancey County. Voters in those counties may use this exception if they are unable to provide a photo ID when voting. Absentee Voting If you were displaced from Helene, you can request an absentee ballot and it will be delivered to your new location. To request one, click HERE. Absentee voting is already underway in North Carolina. In-person voting begins October 17th through November 2nd. County Board Office Closures Several election offices in western North Carolina are either closed or have limited accessibility due to power, phone, or internet outages. As of Thursday, October 3rd, five county Board of Elections Offices are closed. Those are: Avery (Election staff are working) Buncombe (Election staff are working) Mitchell Watauga (Election staff are taking calls at 828-265-8061 or available by appointment) Yancey Storm victims are asked to contact their county board of elections via email at [email protected] or call 919-814-0700 for any questions or concerns about voting. Damage to Election Offices, Equipment, Voting Sites No voting equipment or printed ballots were lost or damaged due to Helene at this time. Officials are still assessing the damages, more details will be provided when available.