Resources for Voters
If Hurricanes Helene or Milton affected your state, visit your state election office website for specific information about voting in the 2024 general election, including any accommodations being made as a direct result of the hurricanes. The best sources for voter registration and voting information are your state and local election officials.
Florida: https://dos.fl.gov/elections/for-voters/emergency-and-disaster-election-resources/
Georgia: https://sos.ga.gov/page/disaster-recovery
North Carolina: https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/upcoming-election/helene-recovery-and-voting
South Carolina: https://scvotes.gov/
Tennessee: https://sos.tn.gov/elections/guides/helene-recovery-and-voting
Virginia: https://www.elections.virginia.gov/
For links to all state and territorial elections websites and other contact information, visit eac.gov/vote.
If you believe you have experienced voting rights violations, you may report the situation at civilrights.justice.gov/report.
Frequently Asked Questions for Voters Impacted by Disasters
I am displaced in a hotel/friend or relative’s house/etc.; can I request a ballot be mailed to me at this location?
Time permitting, you can request a mail ballot be delivered to a temporary address. Contact the state or local election office where you usually reside, who can help you with options for voting.
What do I do if I lost my ID?
States in affected areas may have options for voters who have lost their ID due to a disaster. For example:
- In North Carolina, you can fill out a Photo Exemption form when voting in person, or you can request a free Voter Photo ID at your county board of elections office; and
- In Georgia, you can request a Voter ID card from any Georgia Driver’s Services office free of charge.
Contact the state or local election office for more information about voter identification requirements.
Do I need to prove my residency?
Contact the state or local election office with any questions you have about the residency rules. Voter registration, vote-by-mail, and in-person voting forms require you to take an oath that the information you provide is accurate.
Will I have an in-person voting location?
Some early voting locations in the hardest hit areas have either significant damage or accessibility issues. However, state and local election officials are working hard to ensure that voters in all affected communities will have voting options – either by mail or in person. Contact the state or local election office for more information about your voting options.
Has my voting location changed?
Contact the state or local election office if you have any questions about when or where to vote. Some states, like Florida, have issued emergency orders that allow some voting locations to be moved due to the disaster. This gives election officials flexibility in serving voters who may have evacuated or whose regular voting location is damaged or inaccessible.
Resources for Election Officials
The following resources may be of use to election officials navigating a response to a disaster or emergency:
Video and Presentations from the EAC's 2019 Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Working Group Meeting, including presentations from Bay County, Florida; the State of Louisiana; the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; Butte County, California; Montgomery County, Maryland; and the State of Florida.
The EAC’s Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) Template and training, as well as additional resources, can be found on the page dedicated to contingency planning. While many of these resources are designed to be used prior to a disaster, they may also serve as a starting point for thinking through what steps can be taken after a disaster strikes.
The EAC’s page on COVID-19 resources provides information on how to think about making changes to in-person voting locations, safeguarding both staff and voters, and managing an increase in the need for mail voting.
FEMA’s website on disaster preparedness for people with disabilities.
North Carolina State Board of Elections “Attack Response Kits” program, which has been deployed to assist counties impacted by Hurricane Helene.
California Secretary of State guidebook on the Procedures and Guidelines for Voting in a State of Emergency or Natural Disaster.
Colorado Secretary of State’s 2012 emergency and disaster contingency planning recommended plans document that provides useful ideas on how to approach a variety of potential disasters.
A 2017 report from the National Association of Secretaries of State on State Laws & Practices for the Emergency Management of Elections.
FEMA encourages local election officials to reach out directly to their state emergency management partners. To find their contact information, visit FEMA’s search page.
Field Services
The EAC’s Field Services team stands ready to assist election officials impacted by the hurricanes. Staff are available to respond to state and local jurisdictions regarding voting system validation, providing guidance and best practices on logic and accuracy testing, pre- and post-election verification, and chain-of-custody guidance for equipment deployed in emergency circumstances.
For more information, please visit the Field Services Program.
Grant Resources for Election Officials
How can HAVA funds be used for election recovery efforts after a natural disaster?
The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Section 101 (b)(1)(B) allows for improving the administration of elections for Federal office. This includes measures to rebuild election infrastructure after damages sustained by a natural disaster. Expenses should be necessary for the administration of elections and not covered by insurance or another federal funding stream (e.g., the Federal Emergency Management Agency). State and local election offices must follow prior EAC and federal guidance on allocation, reasonableness and necessity, and supplanting.
Other examples of eligible HAVA expenditures related to disaster response and recovery include but are not limited to:
- Meals or lodging for poll workers on election day in areas where access to polling locations and food have been compromised.
- Hand sanitizer and portable bathroom for polling locations without running water.
- Mobile polling units.
- Emergency ballot measures, including additional mail-in ballots, increased drop boxes, ballot curing, and tracking.
- Temporary polling place security measures.
- Transporting voting machines.
- Ensuring accessibility at polling places.
- Critical building repairs due to flood or wind damage.
- Cyber and physical security.
- Voter education, including informing voters of process changes due to a storm.
- Flood remediation.
- Temporary election staff.
- Replacing impacted voting equipment.
- Training additional poll workers and election volunteers.
These costs may be allocated to funding programs under Section 101 and in many cases, Section 251(b).
Before using HAVA funds for recovery efforts, please reach out to [email protected]. The EAC Office of Grants Management will promptly assist you with determining allowability, approval requirements, budget amendments, and allocation.
What other federal financial resources are available to election officials?
The following federal funding opportunities may be useful for election officials seeking to prepare for, mitigate against, respond to, and recovery from emergencies and disasters. The programs fund a range of activities from planning for disruptive incidents during the election season, improving physical infrastructure to better withstand hazards, to recovering from a major disaster. Many of these funding sources will require collaboration with a state agency external to the elections office to develop and submit an application. This list of State Hazard Mitigation Officers may help you get started: https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/state-local-territorial-governments/state-contacts
Disaster-Specific Funding
These funding sources are tied to a specific federal emergency and/or disaster declaration and only become available as the result of a federally declared incident. The funding may be limited to jurisdictions and/or properties directly affected by the incident.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance Program
Find more information at https://www.fema.gov/assistance/public
Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
Find more information at https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/learn/hazard-mitigation
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery
Find more information at https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/comm_planning/cdbg-dr
U.S. Department of Agriculture Community Facilities Program Disaster Grant
Find more information at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/community-facilities/community-facilities-program-disaster-grants
Economic Development Administration Disaster Supplemental Funding
Find more information at https://www.eda.gov/strategic-initiatives/disaster-recovery/supplemental
Recurring Funding Opportunities
These funding opportunities are recurring over multiple fiscal years and are typically available for funding requests only during the specified application period.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant Program
Find more information at https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/learn/building-resilient-infrastructure-communities
Federal Emergency Management Agency BRIC Non-Financial Direct Technical Assistance
Find more information at https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/learn/building-resilient-infrastructure-communities/direct-technical-assistance
Federal Emergency Management Agency Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program
Find more information at https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/learn/flood-mitigation-assistance
Federal Emergency Management Agency Pre-Disaster Mitigation Congressionally Directed Spending
Find more information at https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/learn/pre-disaster
Federal Emergency Management Agency State Homeland Security Grant Program
Find more information at https://www.fema.gov/grants/preparedness/homeland-security
Federal Emergency Management Agency Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program
Find more information at https://www.fema.gov/grants/preparedness/tribal-homeland-security
Federal Emergency Management Agency Emergency Management Performance Grant Program
Find more information at https://www.fema.gov/grants/preparedness/emergency-management-performance
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program
Find more information at https://www.cisa.gov/cybergrants/slcgp
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Tribal Cybersecurity Grant Program
Find more information at https://www.cisa.gov/cybergrants/tcgp
U.S. Department of Agriculture Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program
Find more information at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/community-facilities/community-facilities-direct-loan-grant-program