Hurricane Helene battered rural mountain towns in North Carolina, a key voting bloc for Trump. AdvertisementEarly voting began in North Carolina on October 17, and state election officials said in-person turnout topped a previous record set in 2020. He won North Carolina by less than 75,000 votes in the 2020 presidential race, with strong support in areas outside urban centers. Allison Joyce / AFPThe Democrats aim to flip historically red North Carolina, seeing a path in the rapidly growing suburban areas like Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, and Fayetteville. North Carolina election officials made emergency changes to expand voting access for residents recovering from the storm.

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