Hurricanes, Relief Funds, and Voter Access: The High-Stakes Impact of Milton and Helene

On October 9th, Hurricane Milton made landfall and passed through Florida. This marks the second major hurricane that has made landfall in Florida this past month after Hurricane Helene hit in late September.

Hurricane Milton left a trail of damage across the state, but indicators show that the state was spared from the severest projections that were put out earlier in the week. Especially in the storm surges and wind destruction projected for the heavily populated Tampa Bay area. Both hurricanes have left Florida in a crisis.

Emergency relief funds are running low and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has spent nearly half its disaster budget in just eight days. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said that FEMA had spent $9 billion of the $20 billion that Congress put in its disaster fund Oct. 1 for the fiscal year that runs through Sept. 30, 2025. It was the first time FEMA has publicly stated how much money it has since Hurricane Helene hit the Southeast two weeks ago.

In congress members are preparing for the heavily contested upcoming election while also trying to make sure relief is available for those that need it. On Wednesday, a group of House Democrats urged Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to “immediately reconvene” the chamber “so that it can pass robust disaster relief spending.” The Democrats, led by Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, said money is needed for both FEMA and a Small Business Administration program that gives low-interest loans to homeowners, renters and businesses whose property was damaged by a disaster.

President Joe Biden on Thursday also said lawmakers should return to Capitol Hill “immediately” from their preelection recess, echoing pleas from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers from the afflicted states. But despite questions about the solvency of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster fund, House Speaker Mike Johnson and top appropriators insist the agency can manage just fine — for now — with the $20.3 billion that Congress freed up for it late last month. That money is for the fiscal year that ends next Sept. 30

Responses to the hurricanes have become an important part of the presidential candidates' campaigning. With less than a month of voting left and voting areas affected, Vice President Harris and Trump have visited the area. There currently is no way to know if or how the hurricanes will impact the November election. Currently, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee are the four states impacted by the Hurricanes. A majority of voters in counties now suffering damage from Hurricane Helene supported former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. Voters in battleground states of Georgia and North Carolina are mostly Trump counties. However, there are exceptions, with counties that favored Biden which include Asheville, North Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia. In North Carolina, the Trump campaign is calling for more voter access.

Hurricanes Milton and Helene have severely impacted voter registration and absentee ballot deadlines in key swing states, prompting advocacy groups to take legal action to extend these critical dates. With Florida and Georgia among the hardest-hit, widespread infrastructure damage, power outages, and displacement have left many residents unable to meet standard voter registration and mail-in ballot deadlines. Civil rights and voting rights groups argue that, without extensions, many citizens could be disenfranchised due to circumstances beyond their control, particularly as they face ongoing recovery challenges.

Lawsuits filed in federal courts are pushing for states to provide deadline extensions for both voter registration and absentee ballots, citing the need to uphold voting access during emergencies. In some states, like Georgia, courts have previously granted deadline extensions after major hurricanes. If successful, these legal efforts could boost voter participation in states where election outcomes are often decided by narrow margins, potentially affecting the broader political landscape heading into the 2024 election.

With the election predicted to be very tight both candidates are looking to secure every vote they can time. Lawsuits and attacks have come from both sides. All the states affected by the hurricane are working with FEMA and other relief organizations to get the communities back on their feet.