Swing state North Carolina faces daunting election after Hurricane Helene

North Carolina election officials are scrambling to make sure the state's over 7 million registered voters can cast a ballot in the upcoming presidential election, after flooding from Hurricane Helene caused extensive damage in the western part of the state.

"The destruction is unprecedented, and this level of uncertainty, this close to Election Day is daunting," Karen Brinson-Bell, executive director of the state's board of elections, said on Tuesday.

Twelve county election offices are closed in western North Carolina due to the storm, with the Oct. 11 voter registration deadline fast approaching, she said. But no voting equipment or ballots were damaged in the storm, she said.