Following Hurricane Helene, election officials in North Carolina are turning to Louisiana for guidance on handling displaced voters, as Louisiana has extensive experience implementing emergency voting procedures after natural disasters. Louisiana Election Commissioner Sherri Wharton-Hadskey has been consulting with them on strategies and best practices, stresses the importance of acting quickly to meet voter needs in emergencies…
“Across the nation, Louisiana really has conducted more emergency elections than anyone else.”
In 2020, Louisiana adapted its election processes after Hurricanes Laura and Delta and introduced new protocols during the pandemic. Hadskey says Louisiana learned that speed was key…
“Being able to more quickly and understand what the needs are to conduct the election are so critical in an emergency circumstance.”
North Carolina lawmakers, aiming to ensure a safe and secure election on November 5, are seeking to implement similar procedures. Hadskey says North Carolina will have a special session next week that will address new legislation for emergency voting procedures, and it’s never an easy endeavor…
“I can tell you right now when we conduct emergency elections there’s no 40-hour work week. You’re going to work diligently to get it done.”
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