The swing states of Georgia and North Carolina were among the most heavily affected by Hurricane Helene, which flooded towns, destroyed buildings, took out power and cell service and forced widespread road closures, with a death toll that has already ticked above 200. The upturning of everyday life has also introduced unanticipated disruptions into the nuts-and-bolts of running a high-stakes presidential election...

Officials in North Carolina and Georgia have projected confidence about their ability to adapt to the ravages of Helene without accidentally disenfranchising voters. Early indications are that key election equipment such as ballots and voting machines were largely unaffected by the storm, avoiding a major last-minute logistical nightmare. But the mounting to-do list is daunting...

“It’s brutal,” said Amy Cohen, the executive director of the national association of state election directors. In a tense election year already marred by late spats over election rules and whether to include third-party candidates on the ballot, election officials are “now dealing with the fact that their homes are gone, and they don’t have water,” Cohen said.