WASHINGTON — Hurricane season has not only wreaked havoc on people’s lives across much of the country, it could also make it more arduous for voters to cast ballots in regions hardest hit by the natural disaster.
Other election threats include disinformation and even terrorism, with warnings from the Department of Homeland Security and an arrest in Oklahoma allegedly linked to an Election Day conspiracy.
Election officials in states regularly hit by hurricane season have extensive experience ensuring residents can vote after natural disasters, but those in other parts of the country less accustomed to devastation this year are learning as they go.
Voters accustomed to a quick commute to a polling place or mailbox may take longer to get there amid flooded roads, and some are so busy rebuilding their lives that they simply decide not to vote. In the case of absentee ballots, regular postal service may be disrupted.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger he said earlier this week didn’t expect the recovery from Hurricane Helene to have a significant impact on voting, and praised county election officials for dealing with power outages and internet loss during the storm, the Georgia Recorder reported.
Local election officials across the state, he said, are ready to mail absentee ballots on time and do not expect any delays in the start of early voting on Oct. 15.
County election officials “truly put public service first because they understand how important it is to vote in the 53 counties that have so far been designated federal disaster areas,” he said during a news conference.
North Carolina Legislature unanimously adopted the emergency financing package NC Newsline reported Wednesday that the amount includes $5 million for the Board of Elections to assist recover from the hurricane and ensure the election runs as smoothly as possible.
Election officials in the state will be able to make changes to early voting and polling places in 25 western counties, an escalate from the 13 counties that previously had the authority to make changes.
“While the Board of Elections has made a good effort, we want to expand it to additional impacted counties,” Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger said during a news conference.
The Trump campaign released a list of 10 North Carolina ballot requests Tuesday evening, including one that voters “who were relocated to another North Carolina county to be able to vote on provisional ballots on Election Day that will be delivered back to and processed by the District Electoral Commission competent for the voter.”
This specific request has not been approved by the state– NC Newsline reports.
In Florida, where residents had barely started cleaning up damage from Hurricane Helene before Hurricane Milton arrived, there is no consensus on the best course of action, Florida Phoenix reports.
League of Women Voters of Florida Educational Fund and Florida State Conference of the NAACP they filed a lawsuit in federal court apply to extend the voter registration deadline, which expired on Monday.
The organizations argue that Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis should have allowed more time for voter registration because residents were focused on storm preparation, evacuation and recovery.
“By issuing mandatory evacuation orders, he refused to extend the voter registration deadline, disenfranchising many Floridians who were unable to register due to a disaster beyond their control,” the organization said in a statement. “Voters should not have to worry about registering to vote while trying to protect their lives and communities.”
Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett announced Wednesday that six counties would have changes due to the effects of Hurricane Helene, although he pledged to provide state residents with the option to vote in person or by mail.
“The devastation experienced in Northeast Tennessee is heartbreaking and unimaginable,” Hargett said in a written statement. “Yet I continue to be amazed by the planning and resilience of our local election officials.
“We have been working with our local election administrators – Josh Blanchard, Sarah Fain, Tracy Harris, Dana Jones, Cheri Lipford and Justin Reaves – throughout this disaster, and their unwavering leadership and commitment will ensure the election runs as planned so that registered voters have the opportunity to voting.”
Hargett reiterated in a statement that early voting will still begin Oct. 16 and run through Oct. 31.
Specific voting changes in the six counties have been posted on the website website of the Secretary of Statewhich will be updated with any additional changes in the coming days. Tennessee voters who submitted absentee ballots can track the status Here or by calling 877-850-4959.
Elections and artificial intelligence
in Kentucky Election officials warn state lawmakers AI has the “potential to significantly impact” elections in the coming months and years, according to the Kentucky Lantern.
Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams urged lawmakers at a meeting of the General Assembly’s Artificial Intelligence Task Force to take the technology seriously.
“If you are addressing artificial intelligence legislation when you return in 2025, I encourage you to consider a ban on impersonating election officials,” Adams said during the meeting. “Impersonating a peace officer is illegal, and for good reason. It should be equally illegal to impersonate a secretary of state or county clerk and spread false information about our elections in any form.”
United States Department of Homeland Security published the report earlier this month, officials expected that “state actors will continue to pose a range of threats to the Homeland and public safety,” including through artificial intelligence.
“In particular, China, Iran and Russia will use a mix of subversive, undeclared, criminal and coercive tactics to seek new opportunities to undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions and internal social cohesion,” the 46-page report said.
“Advances in artificial intelligence will likely enable foreign adversaries to increase the efficiency, timeliness, and perceived authenticity of their erroneous, false, and erroneous information designed to influence U.S. audiences while concealing or distorting the origins of the content.”
Terrorism and elections
DHS also expects the threat of terrorism to remain high throughout the year, including during the election season, according to the report.
“Individual criminals and small groups continue to pose the greatest threat of carrying out attacks with little or no warning,” the report said.
This seems to be the case in Oklahoma, where federal officials say According to the Oklahoma Voice, a 27-year-old Afghan citizen living in the state purchased AK-47 rifles and ammunition as part of a plot to carry out an Election Day attack on behalf of ISIS.
The complaint states that Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi and his co-conspirator, under the age of 18, allegedly met with an FBI employee in rural western Oklahoma to purchase two AK-47 assault rifles, 10 magazines and 500 rounds of ammunition.
An FBI search of Tawhedi’s phone revealed communications with an individual Tawhedi believed was associated with ISIS. According to the complaint, he “allegedly accessed, viewed and saved ISIS propaganda on his iCloud and Google accounts, participated in pro-ISIS groups on Telegram, and made donations to a charity that provides money to ISIS,” according to the complaint.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign aimed to blame Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris for Tawhedi’s presence in the United States.
Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a written statement claiming Harris “rolled out the red carpet for terrorists like Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi.”
“President Donald Trump will deport illegal immigrants on the terrorist list and secure our borders against foreign threats,” Leavitt wrote.
According to the agency, Tawhedi entered the United States on September 9, 2021 on a special immigrant visa and is “currently on parole pending the outcome of his immigration proceedings.” criminal complaint.
The co-defendant is the younger brother of Tawhedi’s wife. Although he is not named because he is a minor, the complaint indicates he is an Afghan citizen with lawful indefinite resident status who entered the United States on March 27, 2018, on a special immigrant visa.
Leavitt’s statement did not comment on the co-defendant’s entry into the United States during the Trump administration.
Harris has not yet publicly commented on the arrest.
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