One of the most pressing issues arising from the aftermaths of Hurricanes Helene and Milton—outside of the loss of life, immense damage, and pathetic response by the federal government—is this. The people most affected by the storm will have a very difficult time voting on November 5th if that subject is even remotely on their radar at this point.One can hardly blame anyone who has lost everything they own for not keeping the issue of the election front and center as a priority, even though the res...
One of the most pressing issues arising from the aftermaths of Hurricanes Helene and Milton—outside of the loss of life, immense damage, and pathetic response by the federal government—is this. The people most affected by the storm will have a very difficult time voting on November 5th if that subject is even remotely on their radar at this point.
One can hardly blame anyone who has lost everything they own for not keeping the issue of the election front and center as a priority, even though the response from the federal government—and some of the state governments—has been insufficient and, in many cases, obstructive. It should be a significant issue in this election.
However, a fact remains that cannot be argued. The overwhelming number of counties affected by the storm paths were Red-voting counties. Population-wise, it is unclear whether the numbers of conservative, constitutionalist, and Republican voters affected will balance with the number of far-Left and Democrat voters. But looking at the areas affected, there is a good chance there will be a deficit to the Democrats' advantage given the lopsided urban populations of Ashville and Winston-Salem in North Carolina, Augusta and Savanah in Georgia, and Tampa and St. Petersburg in Florida.
The Path That Might Affect The Vote
In Georgia, Hurricane Helene’s effects were felt across 53 counties. These counties predominantly voted conservative and Republican in the 2020 election, with 57.3% of the votes reflecting that fact.
Similarly, North Carolina's western part includes heavily Republican counties that have been designated eligible for FEMA aid, indicating a level of devastation that will undoubtedly hinder the ability of those affected to cast ballots. In those locations, 51.6% of the vote in 2020 went for the conservative (or Republican) candidates.
The physical destruction and logistical challenges in North Carolina – specifically – will directly affect voter turnout. Traditional polling stations are either inaccessible or non-existent. If mail-in ballots are delayed due to postal service disruptions, the vote in affected areas will be suppressed.
While this might not change voter preference, it will reduce the overall number of votes cast for conservative candidates if those voters cannot vote.
Given that these areas are predominantly conservative in nature, the lower voter turnout will disadvantage conservative, constitutionalist, and Republican candidates. And even though emergency voting measures have been implemented in many election authority jurisdictions throughout the affected areas, there is no guarantee they will be adequately effective. Today, the election results and the entirety of the General Election, nationally, could be affected by this disaster.
That is unless the rest of the electorate in the affected states—and/or enough voters across the country—turn out to compensate for the disenfranchisement, ensuring that the good people of Western North Carolina, Eastern Tennessee, and Northern Georgia are represented at the ballot box in the exercise of their constitutional rights to vote.
We Can Help The People In WesternNorth Carolina With More Than Just Money
Today, the immediate need for the people affected by these storms is material and physical aid and assistance. I have consistently posted links to credible organizations—all with high ratings by CharityNavigator.org:
* Samaritan’s Purse
* The Salvation Army
* The Cajun Navy Relief
* MercuryOne
* Best Friends Animal Society
But tomorrow is a completely different issue. Tomorrow, in the context of the November 5th General Election, has ramifications well beyond the immediate future. In fact, it has ramifications for decades to come, given the massive rebuilding efforts that will have to be undertaken in the affected areas—and the incredible efforts it will take to keep the dark claws of organizations like BlackRock and Vanguard from swooping in and exploiting the disaster for their benefit by gobbling up land appropriated through government land acquisition sleight-of-hand.
That means that another avenue of benevolence has opened up—out of the ashes, another way has been created to help our fellow neighbors.
If you are disgusted by today’s politics (and who isn’t), you may be tempted to sit this election out. Some sources have as many as 31 percent of conservative Christians indicating that they will forgo casting a ballot in this upcoming election.
Many undecided and independent voters are considering doing the same.
Now you have a reason—a reason steeped in benevolence for your fellow Americans, for your neighbors—to get to the polls and cast a ballot: To help represent someone who can’t cast a vote because of a disaster and an inadequate response from the very federal emergency management agencies who take our tax dollars to execute that mission.
As previously stated, those affected by the storms—and who will be disenfranchised from voting—vote overwhelmingly conservative; they vote predominantly for Republican candidates. So, in the names of the disenfranchised—if you care to help those who cannot do for themselves, show up at the polls on November 5th (or preferably to vote early) and cast your votes for the conservative, constitutionalist, or Republican candidates in their place.
North Carolina and Georgia are critical swing states, and the storm's devastation will debilitate local voter turnout for the November 5th General Election. The storm’s impact will present both physical and logistical challenges, not to mention challenges to the vote-counting and certification efforts.
But that doesn’t have to be the case…not if those still on the fence about voting use benevolence as a motivation to cast a ballot in representing those who are forbidden from voting for themselves, through no fault of their own. If enough states go Red, we can compensate for the loss of votes resulting from these natural disasters, rendering them—electorally—moot.
Then, when we come back, our segment on America’s Third Watch, broadcast nationally from our flagship station WGUL AM930 & FM93.7 in Tampa, Florida.
Get full access to Underground USA at www.undergroundusa.com/subscribe
