    [House Hearing, 119 Congress]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                       MAINTAINING ELECTION OPERATIONS IN
                         THE FACE OF NATURAL DISASTERS

    =======================================================================

                                    HEARING

                                   before the

                           SUBCOMMITTEE ON ELECTIONS

                                     of the

                       COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION

                            HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                        ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION

                                   __________

                               SEPTEMBER 16, 2025

                                   __________

          Printed for the use of the Committee on House Administration

        [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                                www.govinfo.gov
                               www.cha.house.gov

                                        _______

                      U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

    61-639 PDF                   WASHINGTON : 2026

                       COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION

                        BRYAN STEIL, Wisconsin, Chairman

    LAUREL LEE, Florida, Vice Chair      JOSEPH MORELLE, New York,
    BARRY LOUDERMILK, Georgia                 Ranking Member
    H. MORGAN GRIFFITH, Virginia         TERRI A. SEWELL, Alabama
    GREG MURPHY, North Carolina          NORMA TORRES, California
    STEPHANIE BICE, Oklahoma             JULIE JOHNSON, Texas
    MARY MILLER, Illinois
    MIKE CAREY, Ohio

                           Mike Platt, Staff Director
                      Jamie Fleet, Minority Staff Director

                                     ------

                           SUBCOMMITTEE ON ELECTIONS

                           LAUREL LEE, Florida, Chair

    BARRY LOUDERMILK, Georgia            TERRI A. SEWELL, Alabama,
    GREG MURPHY, North Carolina               Ranking Member
    MARY MILLER, Illinois                JULIE JOHNSON, Texas

                             C  O  N  T  E  N  T  S

                                  ----------
                                                                       Page

                               Opening Statements

    Chair Laurel Lee, Representative from the State of Florida.......     1
        Prepared statement of Chair Laurel Lee.......................     3
    Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on House Administration Joseph
      Morelle, Representative from the State of New York.............     3
        Prepared statement of Ranking Member Joseph Morelle..........     5
    Ranking Member Terri A. Sewell, Representative from the State of
      Alabama........................................................     6
        Prepared statement of Ranking Member Terri A. Sewell.........    45

                                   Witnesses

    Stacy ``Four'' Eggers, IV, partner, Eggers, Eggers, Eggers, &
      Eggers, PLLC...................................................    46
        Prepared statement of Stacy ``Four'' Eggers, IV..............    48
    The Honorable Cord Byrd, Secretary of State of Florida, Office of
      the Florida Secretary of State.................................    63
        Prepared statement of Cord Byrd..............................    65
    Karen Brinson Bell, former executive director, North Carolina
      State Board of Elections.......................................    68
        Prepared statement of Karen Brinson Bell.....................    70

                           Submissions for the Record

    Election Infrastructure Initiative report........................     9
    Statement from the League of Women Voters........................    42
    Fox News article.................................................    83
    Written testimony of the Southern Poverty Law Center.............    86

                       MAINTAINING ELECTION OPERATIONS IN
                         THE FACE OF NATURAL DISASTERS

                                  ----------

                               September 16, 2025

                     Subcommittee on Elections,
                     Committee on House Administration,
                                      House of Representatives,
                                                       Washington, D.C.
        The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 3:01 p.m., in
    room 1310, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Laurel Lee
    [Chair of the Subcommittee] presiding.
        Present: Representatives Lee, Murphy, Miller, Sewell, and
    Morelle.
        Staff present: Annemarie Cake, Professional Staff/Deputy
    Clerk; Rachel Collins, General Counsel; Kristen Monterroso,
    Director of Operations; Michael Platt, Staff Director; Abby
    Salter, Deputy General Counsel; Josh Weber, Counsel; Jordan
    Wilson, Director of Member Services; Khalil Abboud, Minority
    Deputy Staff Director; Jamie Fleet, Minority Staff Director;
    Sarah Nasta, Minority Senior Advisor and Director of Outreach;
    Owen Reilly, Minority Professional Staff; Sean Wright, Minority
    Chief Counsel; and Nikolas Youngsmith, Minority Elections
    Counsel.

    OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. LAUREL LEE, CHAIR OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE
            ON ELECTIONS, A U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FROM FLORIDA

        Chair Lee. The Subcommittee on Elections of the Committee
    on House Administration will come to order.
        The title of today's hearing is ``Maintaining Election
    Operations in the Face of Natural Disasters.''
        I note that a quorum is present.
        Without objection, the Chair may declare a recess at any
    time.
        Also without objection, the hearing record will remain open
    for 5 legislative days so Members may submit any materials they
    wish to be included therein.
        Thank you, Ranking Member Morelle, Members of the
    Committee, and our witnesses, for participating in today's
    hearing.
        Free, fair, and secure elections are critical to the
    democratic process. The Committee on House Administration has
    broad oversight of Federal election policy. Today, the
    Subcommittee on Elections continues that oversight with a
    discussion on election administration during natural disasters.
        While laws dictate the time, manner, and place for
    elections, one factor that is out of our control is the
    weather. Federal general elections coincide with hurricane
    season, and the 2024 general election demonstrated firsthand
    how Mother Nature can impact election administration.
        While natural disasters may not be the first thing that
    comes to mind for election administration, our local leaders
    have experienced them and know that they must be prepared for
    disasters that could strike at any moment.
        In the case of Hurricane Helene and so many that came
    before it, millions of Americans faced unexpected obstacles
    when it was time to cast their ballots, and election officials
    did their best to ensure that every legal ballot was counted.
        Today, we will examine how State and local election
    officials dealt with both logistical and physical problems
    while administering elections in the aftermath of storms. Their
    experiences will show how preparation and planning for
    emergency weather is crucial to secure elections and voter
    access.
        As the former Secretary of State for the State of Florida,
    which has been hit by more hurricanes than any other State
    since 1851, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to
    administer an election in the face of a natural disaster.
        Our witnesses today have faced similar challenges when
    administering elections during extreme weather or while their
    State is trying to recover from storm damage. Both North
    Carolina and Florida have been left devastated by hurricanes,
    and today they will highlight best practices for ensuring
    smooth election operations before and after natural disasters
    strike.
        Before a natural disaster strikes, State and local election
    officials should have a strategy in place and be prepared to
    execute well-planned modifications to keep elections secure,
    maintain voter confidence, and protect high voter turnout.
    These preparation and planning efforts can help election
    officials, voters, and State and local jurisdictions ensure
    that ballots can be cast on time and in a safe manner.
        Additionally, election officials should undergo training to
    address additional unexpected scenarios that a natural disaster
    could cause before, during, and after Election Day.
        Clear and effective communication to eligible voters in the
    case of an emergency is critical. North Carolina and Florida
    have each implemented best practices and shown success in
    ensuring voters' voices are still heard when a natural disaster
    strikes close to an election. Today's hearing will detail these
    best practices as an example for State and local officials
    across the country.
        Election laws in North Carolina and Florida demonstrate
    that all statutes can authorize flexible and appropriate
    responses to natural disasters close to Election Day.
    Consistency in election processes increases trust amongst
    voters. However, natural disasters threaten consistency,
    particularly when they hit close to an election.
        No matter the circumstances, voters must be confident that
    their voices will be heard.
        I want to thank our witnesses for being here today. I look
    forward to the discussion.
        With that, I yield to Ranking Member Morelle for an opening
    statement.
        [The prepared statement of Chair Lee follows:]

     PREPARED STATEMENT OF CHAIR OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ELECTIONS
                               LAUREL LEE

        Free, fair, and secure elections are critical to the
    democratic process. The Committee on House Administration has
    broad oversight of Federal election policy. Today, the
    Subcommittee on Elections continues that oversight with a
    discussion on election administration during a natural
    disaster. While laws dictate the time, manner, and place for
    elections, one factor out of our control is the weather.
        Federal general elections coincide with hurricane season,
    and the 2024 general election demonstrated firsthand how mother
    nature can impact election administration. While natural
    disasters may not be the first thing that comes to mind for
    election administration, our local leaders must prepare for
    disasters that could strike at any moment. In the case of
    Hurricane Helene, millions of Americans faced unexpected
    obstacles when it was time to cast their ballots, and election
    officials did their best to ensure that every legal ballot cast
    was counted.
        Today, we will examine how State and local election
    officials dealt with both logistical and physical problems
    while administering elections in the aftermath of this storm.
    Their experiences will show how preparation and planning for
    emergency weather is crucial to secure elections. As the former
    Secretary of State for the State of Florida, which has been hit
    by more hurricanes than any other State since 1851, I know
    firsthand how challenging it can be to administer an election
    in the face of a natural disaster.
        Our witnesses today have faced similar challenges when
    administering elections during extreme weather or while their
    State is trying to recover from storm damage. Both North
    Carolina and Florida were left devastated by Hurricane Helene
    ahead of the 2024 election. Today, they will highlight best
    practices for ensuring smooth election operations before and
    after a natural disaster strikes.
        Before a natural disaster strikes, State and local election
    officials should have a strategy in place and be prepared to
    execute well-planned modifications to keep the election secure,
    maintain voter confidence, and protect high voter turnout.
    These preparation and planning efforts can help election
    officials, voters, and State and local jurisdictions ensure
    that ballots can be cast on time, and in a safe manner.
    Additionally, election officials should undergo training to
    address additional unexpected scenarios that a natural disaster
    could cause before, during, and after Election Day.
        Clear and effective communication to eligible voters in the
    case of an emergency is critical. North Carolina and Florida
    have each implemented best practices and shown success in
    ensuring voters' voices are still heard when a natural disaster
    strikes close to an election. Today's hearing will detail these
    best practices as an example for State and local officials
    across the country.
        Election laws in North Carolina and Florida demonstrate
    that statutes can authorize flexible and appropriate responses
    to natural disasters close to Election Day. Consistency in
    election processes increases trust amongst voters. However,
    natural disasters threaten consistency, particularly when they
    hit close to an election. No matter the circumstances, voters
    must be confident that their voices will be heard.

    OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOSEPH MORELLE, RANKING MEMBER OF THE
     COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION, A U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FROM
                                NEW YORK

        Mr. Morelle. Well, thank you.
        Good afternoon, everyone.
        Thank you, Chairwoman Lee.
        Thank you to my dear friend, the Ranking Member of this
    Subcommittee, Ms. Sewell.
        Thank you to the witnesses for being here today.
        I think this is--as Chair Lee and I said, this is the third
    time we have tried to organize this, so the third time is the
    charm, it turns out. This is really a very, very important
    conversation to have, and I am grateful to the Chair for
    pulling us all together and, again, to all the witnesses for
    being here.
        I think it is important to kind of take stock of the moment
    that we are in. A recent report found that, last year, there
    were 27 individual weather and climate disasters with at least
    a billion dollars in property damages. That is really pretty
    extraordinary.
        As the number continues to grow and the amount of damage
    that storms do, unfortunately, the administration continues to
    deny the climate crisis, denying science and actively impairing
    our readiness to respond.
        Back in June, I sent a letter to FEMA expressing concern
    over the lack of publicly accessible data on how and where
    Federal resources are allocated in response to Federal
    disasters, a problem which has gotten even worse since January
    with the new administration.
        As the hurricane season began, the President's FEMA had
    reportedly said that he was unaware hurricane season had
    started. I am assuming that was a joke, but, joking or not, it
    is not funny and it is unacceptable.
        We have seen, since the beginning of this year, fired
    Federal workers, ended grant programs that have long built
    resiliency and mitigated impacts of disasters, and actively
    dismantling agencies that support our critical infrastructure.
        A recent GAO report found that the recent cuts to FEMA have
    severely impacted the Government's ability to respond to a
    hurricane season like last year's.
        Natural disasters and severe weather events and the damage
    they inflict are not going to stop regardless of whether we
    bury our head in the proverbial sand or not; they are coming
    whether we like it or not. These actions do not strengthen our
    elections or our democracy. In fact, they make us less secure.
        Disasters do not care about partisan affiliation, and they
    do not care that it is Election Day. They do not care if a
    person is rich or poor, and our response to them should not
    either.
        When Hurricane Sandy hit New York and New Jersey just days
    before the 2012 Presidential election--hard to believe it was
    that long ago--it displaced hundreds of thousands of people and
    caused significant damage, yet we still needed to carry on a
    Presidential election.
        The same thing happened in North Carolina just last year,
    which was referenced by the Chair. Hurricane Helene hit the
    State in late September 2024 after absentee voting had already
    begun and less than 3 weeks before early voting was set to
    begin, and the storm caused tremendous damage. I do not have to
    tell our witness about that. In western North Carolina, more
    than 100 people died as a result of that tragedy.
        Election officials across the State, led by then-executive
    director Karen Brinson Bell, quickly got to work ensuring North
    Carolinians could cast a ballot. Because of their hard work--
    she and all the people who were part of the election
    infrastructure--voter turnout was actually higher in the 25
    disaster-area counties than it was statewide, which is pretty
    remarkable when you consider it.
        The State Board of Elections in Buncombe County, the
    hardest hit area in the State, won national awards from the
    Election Assistance Commission for their emergency response and
    planning.
        Unfortunately, Ms. Brinson Bell was recently removed from
    her position after the Republicans in the North Carolina
    legislature pulled what I can only describe as a blatantly
    partisan takeover of this board of elections, shifting the
    power to appoint the board's members from a Governor, who
    happened to be a Democrat, to the State auditor, which seems
    like a pretty illogical move.
        Anyway, thank you, Ms. Brinson Bell, for being here today
    to share your experience and expertise on this issue, and thank
    you to you and your staff for the hard work in the last
    elections.
        Look, the last comment I will make is, we need to fully
    fund our elections. Election officials need additional
    resources even under ideal circumstances, let alone in the
    midst of natural disaster. When a disaster hits, we must make
    sure they have the funds and support they need to adapt
    operations and assist voters to ensure every voter can still
    cast a ballot.
        Last week in the Appropriations Committee, I said that $15
    million in election funding that House Republicans have
    proposed is certainly not enough. It is a drop in the ocean of
    funding needs, and I will continue to push for additional
    funding and consistent elections funding. When disaster
    strikes, election administrators must provide voters with
    options for casting a ballot.
        Later today--and I will close with this--I am introducing
    the Climate Resilient Elections Act with many of my colleagues,
    a bill that would require the GAO to analyze and report on ways
    the Federal Government can better assist in administering
    elections following a natural disaster. It would grant funding
    opportunities to strengthen American elections.
        I would also say in closing--and then I will yield back,
    and I appreciate the courtesy of the Chair--today is a moment
    to recognize today is National Voter Registration Day, as I
    think we all know. As we talk about natural disasters and the
    impact they can have, we should also work to ensure that every
    eligible American citizen has every opportunity to register to
    vote, update their voter registration information, and cast a
    ballot should they choose to do so. We certainly hope that they
    will choose to do that.
        Thank you again for holding this hearing--I am very
    appreciative--on an important topic. With that, I will yield
    back.
        [The prepared statement of Ranking Member Morelle follows:]

    PREPARED STATEMENT OF RANKING MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE ON HOUSE
                     ADMINISTRATION JOSEPH MORELLE

        A recent report found that, last year, there were 27
    individual weather and climate disasters with at least a
    billion dollars in property damages. That is really pretty
    extraordinary. As the number continues to grow and the amount
    of damage that storms do, unfortunately, the administration
    continues to deny the climate crisis, denying science and
    actively impairing our readiness to respond.
        Back in June, I sent a letter to FEMA expressing concern
    over the lack of publicly accessible data on how and where
    Federal resources are allocated in response to Federal
    disasters, a problem which has gotten even worse since January
    with the new administration. As the hurricane season began, the
    President's FEMA had reportedly said that he was unaware
    hurricane season had started. I am assuming that was a joke,
    but, joking or not, it is not funny and it is unacceptable.
        We have seen, since the beginning of this year, fired
    Federal workers, ended grant programs that have long built
    resiliency and mitigated impacts of disasters, and actively
    dismantling agencies that support our critical infrastructure.
    A recent GAO report found that the recent cuts to FEMA have
    severely impacted the Government's ability to respond to a
    hurricane season like last year's.
        Natural disasters and severe weather events and the damage
    they inflict are not going to stop regardless of whether we
    bury our head in the proverbial sand or not; they are coming
    whether we like it or not. These actions do not strengthen our
    elections or our democracy. In fact, they make us less secure.
    Disasters do not care about partisan affiliation, and they do
    not care that it is Election Day. They do not care if a person
    is rich or poor, and our response to them should not either.
        When Hurricane Sandy hit New York and New Jersey just days
    before the 2012 Presidential election--hard to believe it was
    that long ago--it displaced hundreds of thousands of people and
    caused significant damage, yet we still needed to carry on a
    Presidential election. The same thing happened in North
    Carolina just last year, which was referenced by the Chair.
    Hurricane Helene hit the State in late September of 2024 after
    absentee voting had already begun and less than 3 weeks before
    early voting was set to begin, and the storm caused tremendous
    damage. I do not have to tell our witness about that. In
    western North Carolina, more than 100 people died as a result
    of that tragedy.
        Election officials across the State, led by then executive
    director Karen Brinson Bell, quickly got to work ensuring North
    Carolinians could cast a ballot. Because of their hard work--
    she and all the people who were part of the election
    infrastructure--voter turnout was actually higher in the 25
    disaster area counties than it was statewide, which is pretty
    remarkable when you consider it. The State Board of Elections
    in Buncombe County, the hardest hit area in the State, won
    national awards from the Election Assistance Commission for
    their emergency response and planning.
        Unfortunately, Ms. Brinson Bell was recently removed from
    her position after the Republicans in the North Carolina
    legislature pulled what I can only describe as a blatantly
    partisan takeover of this board of elections, shifting the
    power to appoint the board's members from a Governor, who
    happened to be a Democrat, to the State auditor, which seems
    like a pretty illogical move. Anyway, thank you, Ms. Brinson
    Bell, for being here today to share your experience and
    expertise on this issue, and thank you to you and your staff
    for the hard work in the last elections.
        Look, the last comment I will make is, we need to fully
    fund our elections. Election officials need additional
    resources even under ideal circumstances, let alone in the
    midst of natural disaster. When a disaster hits, we must make
    sure they have the funds and support they need to adapt
    operations and assist voters to ensure every voter can still
    cast a ballot.
        Last week in the Appropriations Committee, I said that $15
    million in election funding that House Republicans have
    proposed is certainly not enough. It is a drop in the ocean of
    funding needs, and I will continue to push for additional
    funding and consistent elections funding. When disaster
    strikes, election administrators must provide voters with
    options for casting a ballot. Later today--and I will close
    with this--I am introducing the Climate Resilient Elections Act
    with many of my colleagues, a bill that would require the GAO
    to analyze and report on ways the Federal Government can better
    assist in administering elections following a natural disaster.
    It would grant funding opportunities to strengthen American
    elections.
        I would also say in closing--and then I will yield back,
    and I appreciate the courtesy of the Chair--today is a moment
    to recognize today is National Voter Registration Day, as I
    think we all know. As we talk about natural disasters and the
    impact they can have, we should also work to ensure that every
    eligible American citizen has every opportunity to register to
    vote, update their voter registration information, and cast a
    ballot should they choose to do so. We certainly hope that they
    will choose to do that.

        Chair Lee. With that, I yield to Ranking Member Sewell for
    an opening statement.

     OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. TERRI A. SEWELL, RANKING MEMBER OF
       THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ELECTIONS, A U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FROM
                                ALABAMA

        Ms. Sewell. Thank you, Madam Chair.
        As the Ranking Member of the Elections Subcommittee and the
    Representative of Alabama's Civil Rights District, there is
    nothing more important to me than ensuring that every eligible
    voter is able to cast their ballot and have their voices heard.
        I am glad that today we are focusing on the impact of
    natural disasters on election operations, because my district
    is under the constant threat of natural disasters. Since 1980,
    Alabama has experienced 102 Federal disaster declarations.
    Every year, tornadoes devastate communities I represent, from
    the April 27th, 2021, tornado that claimed the lives of 64
    Alabamians to the January 2023 storm that devastated my
    hometown of Selma.
        Every Member of Congress who has experienced a community
    impacted by a natural disaster knows that extensive
    coordination between local, State, and Federal partners is
    required to restore basic services and infrastructure to the
    people impacted by these events.
        Our election administrators are not immune to these
    disruptions. Natural disasters can damage or destroy polling
    stations, voting machines, ballots, or other infrastructure
    such as the power or delivery of the mail. They can damage or
    destroy people's homes and belongings, including documents
    needed to meet voter ID requirements.
        Moreover, storms do not care if we are 6 months, 6 weeks,
    or 6 days away from an election; election officials and Federal
    partners must be prepared for all scenarios so that they can
    ensure that voters are able to cast their ballots.
        In the past, severe weather events such as hurricanes,
    tornadoes, and wildfires had more defined seasons, but we have
    seen that these seasons are lengthening. Regardless of when a
    disaster hits, a community recovery from disaster and
    destruction can take weeks, months, and, I can tell you, even
    years.
        Voters in Alabama and across the country deserve to know
    that we are prepared to manage the impact of these events and
    that we have plans in place to protect their access to the
    ballot box. As Members of Congress, we should be working
    overtime to ensure that election officials have the resources
    they need to administer elections and that every voter has a
    fair opportunity to cast their ballot. Voting must be
    resilient, even in the face of crisis.
        I cannot ignore the fact that we are holding a hearing to
    discuss the impact of natural disasters on election
    administration when the Trump administration is proposing to
    make major cuts to FEMA, undermining climate science and
    halting climate research at every turn.
        The President's reckless cuts to vital services like FEMA
    will increase the burden for States as they try to recover from
    recent disasters and try to plan for the future. Sadly,
    congressional Republicans are standing by silently as President
    Trump fires staff, cuts funding, and rescinds grants from these
    critical programs.
        I am looking forward to our discussion today, because we
    need to take a hard look at how Republicans' cuts will hurt our
    disaster preparedness and place new burdens on our election
    officials. If we are going to have a candid discussion, the
    Federal Government must be an equal and good-faith partner in
    that endeavor.
        Denying climate science, cutting recovery personnel and
    resources, spreading misinformation and disinformation, and
    threatening to withhold resources from the President's
    political opponents does not help election officials, voters,
    or the security of our elections.
        We must address the chronic underfunding of our elections.
    It is simple as that.
        We must be proactive as we think about ways to implement
    policies that not only expand access to the ballot box for
    every eligible voter but ensures that our election
    infrastructure is resilient and does not crumble in the face of
    a natural disaster.
        When the next disaster strikes--and it will--it is the
    American people will who suffer from the lack of preparation
    and resources. We will not forget this administration's efforts
    to make it harder for Americans to vote and reducing the few
    resources that we currently have for election administrators.
        The American people's right to vote is sacred, and I know
    that I will continue to work tirelessly with my colleagues
    across the aisle to make sure that we have adequate funding and
    that every eligible voter has a right to vote.
        With that, I would like to ask, Madam Chair, if I can have
    unanimous consent to enter into the record a January 2025
    report published by the Election Infrastructure Initiative
    detailing the significant emergency costs experienced by
    election officials during the 2024 election.
        Chair Lee. Without objection, so ordered.
        [The report referred to follows:]

        [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Ms. Sewell. I also ask unanimous consent to enter into the
    record a statement from the League of Women Voters outlining
    some of the ways that we can best ensure we are prepared for
    natural disasters and that every voter can cast a ballot.
        Chair Lee. Without objection, so ordered.
        [The statement referred to follows:]

        [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Ms. Sewell. Thank you.
        [The prepared statement of Ranking Member Sewell follows:]

      PREPARED STATEMENT OF RANKING MEMBER OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON
                       ELECTIONS TERRI A. SEWELL

        As the Ranking Member of the Elections Subcommittee and the
    Representative of Alabama's Civil Rights District, there is
    nothing more important to me than ensuring that every eligible
    voter is able to cast their ballot and have their voices heard.
        I am glad that today we are focusing on the impact of
    natural disasters on election operations, because my district
    is under the constant threat of natural disasters. Since 1980,
    Alabama has experienced 102 Federal disaster declarations.
    Every year, tornadoes devastate communities I represent, from
    the April 27th, 2021, tornado that claimed the lives of 64
    Alabamians to the January 2023 storm that devastated my
    hometown of Selma.
        Every Member of Congress who has experienced a community
    impacted by a natural disaster knows that extensive
    coordination between local, State, and Federal partners is
    required to restore basic services and infrastructure to the
    people impacted by these events. Our election administrators
    are not immune to these disruptions. Natural disasters can
    damage or destroy polling stations, voting machines, ballots,
    or other infrastructure such as the power or delivery of the
    mail. They can damage or destroy people's homes and belongings,
    including documents needed to meet voter ID requirements.
        Moreover, storms do not care if we are 6 months, 6 weeks,
    or 6 days away from an election; election officials and Federal
    partners must be prepared for all scenarios so that they can
    ensure that voters are able to cast their ballots. In the past,
    severe weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and
    wildfires had more defined seasons, but we have seen that these
    seasons are lengthening. Regardless of when a disaster hits, a
    community recovery from disaster and destruction can take
    weeks, months, and, I can tell you, even years. Voters in
    Alabama and across the country deserve to know that we are
    prepared to manage the impact of these events and that we have
    plans in place to protect their access to the ballot box.
        As Members of Congress, we should be working overtime to
    ensure that election officials have the resources they need to
    administer elections and that every voter has a fair
    opportunity to cast their ballot. Voting must be resilient,
    even in the face of crisis.
        I cannot ignore the fact that we are holding a hearing to
    discuss the impact of natural disasters on election
    administration when the Trump administration is proposing to
    make major cuts to FEMA, undermining climate science and
    halting climate research at every turn. The President's
    reckless cuts to vital services like FEMA will increase the
    burden for States as they try to recover from recent disasters
    and try to plan for the future. Sadly, congressional
    Republicans are standing by silently as President Trump fires
    staff, cuts funding, and rescinds grants from these critical
    programs.
        I am looking forward to our discussion today, because we
    need to take a hard look at how Republicans' cuts will hurt our
    disaster preparedness and place new burdens on our election
    officials. If we are going to have a candid discussion, the
    Federal Government must be an equal and good faith partner in
    that endeavor.
        Denying climate science, cutting recovery personnel and
    resources, spreading misinformation and disinformation, and
    threatening to withhold resources from the President's
    political opponents does not help election officials, voters,
    or the security of our elections. We must address the chronic
    underfunding of our elections. It is simple as that. We must be
    proactive as we think about ways to implement policies that not
    only expand access to the ballot box for every eligible voter
    but ensures that our election infrastructure is resilient and
    does not crumble in the face of a natural disaster.
        When the next disaster strikes--and it will--it is the
    American people will who suffer from the lack of preparation
    and resources. We will not forget this administration's efforts
    to make it harder for Americans to vote and reducing the few
    resources that we currently have for election administrators.
    The American people's right to vote is sacred, and I know that
    I will continue to work tirelessly with my colleagues across
    the aisle to make sure that we have adequate funding and that
    every eligible voter has a right to vote.

        Chair Lee. Without objection, all other Members' opening
    statements will be made part of the hearing record if they are
    submitted to the Committee clerk by 5 p.m. today.
        Today, we have one witness panel. I will now introduce our
    witnesses.
        First, we have ``Four'' Eggers, partner at Eggers, Eggers,
    Eggers, & Eggers, PLLC, and current secretary of the North
    Carolina State Board of Elections.
        Next, we have Cord Byrd, the Secretary of State of the
    great State of Florida.
        Finally, we have Karen Brinson Bell, the former executive
    director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
        Each witness will have 5 minutes to provide an opening
    statement.
        I now recognize Mr. Eggers for the purpose of giving his
    opening statement.

       STATEMENTS OF STACY ``FOUR'' EGGERS, IV, PARTNER, EGGERS,
       EGGERS, EGGERS, & EGGERS, PLLC; THE HONORABLE CORD BYRD,
    SECRETARY OF STATE OF FLORIDA, OFFICE OF THE FLORIDA SECRETARY
     OF STATE; AND KAREN BRINSON BELL, FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,
                NORTH CAROLINA STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS

                 STATEMENT OF STACY ``FOUR'' EGGERS, IV

        Mr. Eggers. Thank you, Chair Lee and Ranking Members
    Morelle and Sewell, for the opportunity to address your
    Committee.
        Between September 25th and 28th of last year, Tropical
    Storm Helene inundated western North Carolina, receiving an
    unprecedented amount of rainfall, consistent with a 1,000-year
    storm.
        This level of rainfall, coupled with the power of gravity,
    caused mountain streams, creeks, and rivers to become
    overwhelmed, with the speed and force of water tearing out
    culverts, bridges, power lines, telecommunication lines, water
    lines, and sewer lines. Mudslides and downed trees added to the
    difficulties in travel and basic emergency response services.
        Power and telecommunication systems were simply not
    functional, and local radio stations were off the air because
    they were dependent upon fiber-optic lines that no longer
    existed. There was no internet service nor cell phone service
    through much of the region. State roads in the area had more
    than 9,000 damage sites and more than 1,400 road closures as a
    result of the storm.
        This storm left us 38 days until Election Day and 21 days
    before early voting was to begin for the North Carolina
    Presidential election.
        In the 25-county disaster area, 10 of our county offices
    were closed for extended periods of time due to lack of
    electrical, telecommunication, internet, power, and water
    service.
        Thankfully, we were able to account for all of our county
    election staff, and quickly took inventory of the damages and
    needs for those offices.
        I will start by first thanking our dedicated county
    elections directors, the election staff, and poll workers for
    their outstanding service and dedication in making sure our
    elections are accessible and fair. These are the keys to our
    success related to this.
        Second, one of those keys is the bipartisan nature of how
    my colleagues on the State Board of Elections and the
    respective county boards came together to take emergency action
    that addressed the needs of the voters with minimal political
    gamesmanship.
        On September 30th of 2024, we were able to issue a
    bipartisan and unanimous emergency directive to allow for
    flexibility in conducting absentee ballot meetings in the
    affected areas.
        On November 7th--or, I am sorry, on October 7th of 2024, we
    also issued a bipartisan and unanimous emergency directive to
    address the 13 most affected counties, allowing for changes by
    those county boards of election so long as they were adopted by
    a bipartisan vote.
        These emergency actions provided flexibility for the
    counties to adopt--again, on that bipartisan basis--changes to
    meet the realities for voting in the wake of this unprecedented
    storm.
        At the end of the day, this turns out to be an incredible
    success story for our State, as turnout in western North
    Carolina was actually higher than the rest of the State.
        I would caution that this higher voter turnout is not
    because of our emergency changes alone. Credit for the higher
    turnout belongs to the voters themselves and the civic pride
    and sense of community that Americans bring to recovery from
    tragedy and natural disasters.
        I would also caution that these changes are not best
    practices for the administration of elections. During normal
    conditions, we need adequate checks and balances to make it
    easy to vote yet hard to cheat. These changes were narrowly
    tailored to reflect the difficult realities of recovery from
    the worst natural disaster to strike western North Carolina in
    living memory.
        Of the lessons learned related to the natural disaster, I
    would say, first, preparation is the key to a successful
    election.
        Second, any last-minute changes to the settled rules and
    deadlines for an election should have bipartisan support.
        Third, delaying or suspending elections is simply not an
    option for members and administrators of elections. Regardless
    of the disaster, people expect and demand elections to occur on
    time. Postponing elections would be absolutely the last choice,
    as it would cause rumors, chaos, and suspicion in an area with
    already weakened public safety and communication resources.
        It is an honor to be able to speak with you today, and I am
    grateful for your service and involvement with this important
    topic.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Eggers follows:]

            PREPARED STATEMENT OF STACY ``FOUR'' EGGERS, IV

        [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Chair Lee. I now recognize Secretary Byrd for an opening
    statement.

                      STATEMENT OF HON. CORD BYRD

        Mr. Byrd. Thank you, Chairwoman Lee and Ranking Members
    Sewell and Morelle and Members of the Committee, for the
    opportunity to speak before this Committee about elections
    administration during natural disasters.
        June 1st marked the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane
    season, which in Florida means that election season coincides
    with hurricane season. As such, it is imperative that we
    maintain robust election emergency plans. Florida does not
    delay or cancel elections, and voters must have the opportunity
    to vote in fair weather or foul.
        Let me begin by providing a brief background of our
    elections in Florida.
        Florida elections are overseen by the Secretary of State
    Division of Elections and are administered by the 67 county
    supervisors of elections.
        By law, the Secretary of State also serves as Florida's
    chief elections officer. In this role, I work closely with the
    county supervisors to ensure their duties can be carried out in
    accordance with the Florida Constitution and election laws.
        Elections administration is challenging enough when the sun
    is shining. Darkening skies compound these challenges, which
    makes emergency planning and preparation vital to our success.
        During the last two election cycles, in 2022 and 2024, five
    severe hurricanes hit different parts of the State. Storms,
    fires, floods, and power outages can all happen during a major
    weather event, so we must be prepared for everything. This
    includes excess humidity, which can impact ballot paper
    thickness, which, in turn, can affect ballot processing.
        In 2022, two major hurricanes hit Florida during the
    election cycle--one 30 days before the election during the
    early voting period and one during the election certification
    period.
        Once we ensured that people were safe, I visited the
    affected counties to survey the damage. I saw firsthand the
    destruction and worked with supervisors of elections in
    impacted counties to determine their specific needs based on
    the obstacles voters faced in that county.
        Governor DeSantis then issued executive orders addressing
    the needs identified by the supervisors. These orders
    established additional early voting sites, amended and extended
    reporting requirements, and extended deadlines for eligibility
    verification for voters.
        As a result of these executive actions, the 2022 election
    voter turnout in the most severely impacted counties either
    closely matched or exceeded statewide voter turnout for that
    election year.
        2024 was another active hurricane season, with three
    hurricanes hitting during the 60-day election cycle. As always,
    we adjusted to ensure voters had every opportunity to cast a
    ballot.
        The first hurricane hit just weeks before the primary
    election. The second storm struck a month later, within a week
    of the supervisors canvassing the first votes for the general
    election. Weeks after the second storm, a third major hurricane
    came ashore less than a month before the general election.
        Again, I worked with the supervisors to determine their
    specific needs, and Governor DeSantis acted by signing
    executive orders tailored to meet those needs.
        The executive orders created a streamlined process for
    displaced voters to have their vote-by-mail ballots sent to
    where they were living after the storms. It also gave
    supervisors the ability to relocate or consolidate polling
    sites or early voting sites.
        We worked to ensure that first responders and linemen,
    working long hours and away from home, had the opportunity to
    cast their ballots. This is an important point. While displaced
    voters must be afforded the opportunity to cast a ballot, so
    too must the people who are responsible for the maintenance of
    order and the restoration of power.
        While these storms disrupted the daily lives of voters, we
    ensured that it would not take away their ability to vote, and
    in 2024 Florida saw its highest voter turnout in 30 years. For
    example, Taylor County in Florida's panhandle received direct
    hits from two of the aforementioned hurricanes, yet it saw a
    90.9-percent voter turnout.
        Citizens want to vote. It was truly inspiring to see people
    perform their civic duty despite being displaced by these
    devastating storms.
        First, the natural disasters of 2022 and 2024 reinforced
    the importance of excellent coordination and planning.
        Second, Florida has proven that elections can still proceed
    even when emergencies are looming or when a community is
    recovering from disaster.
        Third, Governor DeSantis has shown that executive orders
    are the key to election continuity.
        Importantly, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Each
    emergency is different. At the State level, our role is to
    assess the county's particular needs and find solutions.
        Governor DeSantis and I used our executive powers to permit
    flexibility when warranted while also maintaining the high
    standard of election integrity established in Florida law.
        Once executive action is carried out, it is important to
    inform the public. During elections, my staff provides
    information to supervisors and the public by issuing press
    releases, pushing messages on our official social media
    channels, updating our website, and answering calls to the
    voter hotline.
        Emergency planning begins with coordination between State
    and county emergency responders and election administration
    officials.
        The Florida approach to elections is clear: We do not move
    or delay elections. Instead, we are committed to ensuring that
    voters affected by emergencies can still exercise their right
    to vote.
        Thank you for allowing me to testify today about how
    Florida administers elections during emergencies. I look
    forward to answering your questions.
        Thank you.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Byrd follows:]

                    PREPARED STATEMENT OF CORD BYRD

        [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Chair Lee. I now recognize Ms. Brinson Bell for the purpose
    of an opening statement.

                    STATEMENT OF KAREN BRINSON BELL

        Ms. Brinson Bell. Thanks, Chairwoman Lee and Ranking Member
    Sewell and Members of the Subcommittee, for the opportunity to
    share the extraordinary work of election professionals to
    ensure safe and secure voting following the devastation caused
    by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina in 2024.
        My name is Karen Brinson Bell, and I served as North
    Carolina's chief election official and executive director of
    the State Board of Elections from June 2019 to May 2025.
    Overseeing elections for more than 7.5 million registered
    voters across 100 counties, my tenure included navigating
    hurricanes, a global pandemic, and historic turnout.
        My elections career began nearly 20 years ago in the
    mountains of western North Carolina, so Helene's impact was
    very personal.
        Helene and previous disasters show the critical need for
    strong communication--and early and often--with Federal, State,
    and local partners, as well as steady, reliable funding and
    advanced preparation.
        Our voters must have confidence that they will be able to
    cast a ballot and have that ballot count through any emergency.
    We do that by talking early and often, planning carefully, and
    ensuring all election offices have the resources they need well
    in advance.
        Disaster response begins long before an event. Careful
    planning allowed us to act quickly when Hurricane Helene hit
    western North Carolina on September 27th, 2024, dropping 30
    inches of rain in Yancey County in 3 days and pushing water
    down the French Broad River at more than 240,000 gallons per
    second.
        Preparedness meant adopting an all-hazards approach. We
    trained for the unexpected and embraced the philosophy, ``We do
    not stop an election; we figure out how to proceed.'' Having
    managed elections during past hurricanes and the pandemic, we
    knew disruptions were inevitable. The challenge was how we
    respond.
        When Helene struck, absentee by-mail voting had begun and
    ballots were in the mail stream. On Monday, September 30th, 14
    county offices could not open. We had limited ability to
    communicate with local election officials and their staff. In
    some cases that week, we did not know if the election staff
    were OK or not.
        Cell phone towers were down. There was no power and no
    internet. Since analog phone lines are mostly obsolete and
    email requires working computers or smartphones, communication
    from county to county or across the State was difficult and
    even nonexistent in some circumstances.
        State emergency management immediately prioritized
    elections with other critical infrastructure. Resources were
    provided through emergency management, FEMA, and State
    emergency funds, covering needs our regular budget could not.
    These funds covered portable toilets, tents, ATVs, satellite
    devices, generators, and more, much of which were delivered
    within days.
        We requested $2.5 million in legislative relief but only
    needed $500,000, as most needs were met by State and Federal
    emergency management.
        Legislative funds arrived after October 10th, just a week
    before early voting. Without North Carolina emergency
    management and FEMA's swift action, critical needs would have
    gone unmet.
        In 1 week, all county offices reopened--no equipment
    damage, no ballots lost, and, most importantly, no election
    workers' lives lost. By October 17th, 76 of 80 planned early
    voting sites in the 25-county disaster region opened on
    schedule, with power. By Election Day, the vast majority of
    sites were open, with little consolidation and no isolated
    communities unserved. Only seven tent sites were needed.
        Remarkably, western North Carolina surpassed the statewide
    turnout by 2 percentage points.
        Emergency authority allowed the State board to act quickly,
    granting counties flexibility to adjust voting locations,
    appoint voting site officials from outside the precinct as
    needed, and allow absentee voters to return ballots to any
    county. By State law, affected voters could indicate ``natural
    disaster'' as an exception for showing voter ID.
        September is National Preparedness Month. We are also
    approaching the 1-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene. We
    delivered voting in North Carolina because of advance
    preparation, strong communication, and intentional partnership
    with Federal, State, and local emergency management and other
    support structures who provided funding and resources in an
    emergency.
        However, we cannot let our guard down or become complacent,
    as natural disasters will continue to occur and likely at the
    time of elections, given our Nation's election schedule. We
    cannot retract resources or funding. Rather, more needs to be
    dedicated to the effort to ensure voting continues and ballots
    are counted no matter the circumstances.
        Thank you for inviting me to testify, and I welcome your
    questions.
        [The prepared statement of Ms. Brinson Bell follows:]

                PREPARED STATEMENT OF KAREN BRINSON BELL

        [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Chair Lee. Thank you.
        I will begin our questions today, followed by the Ranking
    Member. I now recognize myself for the purpose of questioning
    our witnesses.
        Secretary Byrd, I would like to begin with you and discuss
    the coordination between the Florida Department of State and
    State and local emergency management officials.
        Would you share with us a bit about that coordination and
    how coordinating with local emergency management prepares
    election administrators across the State for incidents of
    severe weather.
        Mr. Byrd. Thank you, Chairwoman Lee, for the question.
    Certainly, as my predecessor in Florida, you are no stranger to
    the issues of hurricanes in Florida.
        At the county level--because that is where the elections
    are administered--we encourage the supervisor of elections to
    coordinate with their local county emergency management.
        Then, of course, we have emergency management at the State
    level. As a storm approaches and once we have ensured that all
    lives are safe and secure, then we can strain (ph) resources
    from the State level. We have resources prepositioned
    throughout the State. We have individuals who are prepositioned
    from our office in the places--or around the State and then
    certainly in the areas where there is going to be a hurricane.
        With elections being critical infrastructure, we can surge
    resources to them. If I am in communication with the supervisor
    and--whatever they need, from clearing a road to getting power
    back up and running, to internet connection and service,
    whatever those needs are, because they are critical
    infrastructure, we can then work with State emergency
    management to work with local emergency management to get the
    resources up and running.
        Chair Lee. In particular--those are some great examples--
    how does your office ensure effective communication? Because
    one of the things that typically happens in these kinds of
    storms is a loss of, potentially, cell signal or loss of power.
    What can you all do to help ensure communication from State to
    local election officials, especially if those regular lines of
    communication are unavailable after a storm?
        Mr. Byrd. Certainly we have satellite phones that are
    available to us in case communications go down.
        Fortunately, in Florida, because of our long history with
    hurricanes, much of the infrastructure is now being--is placed
    underground, which limits some of the ability for those types
    of communications to be knocked out.
        We are utilizing services like Starlink to be able to get
    resources to a supervisor's office.
        Those are some of the examples of how we maintain
    communication.
        As I said in the answer to my--or my previous answer, we
    have individuals that are prepositioned around the State from
    our office to be directly communicating, to be boots on the
    ground, in the affected areas.
        Chair Lee. What other key lessons can other States learn
    from Florida, where election season so routinely coincides with
    hurricanes?
        Mr. Byrd. Once again, prepositioning resources;
    tabletopping or game-planning the scenarios, what is going on
    happen.
        Then really, you know, having that communication with the
    individual supervisors so that--we want to use a scalpel to
    pinpoint exactly what resources they need and provide--we want
    to make as few changes to our election system as possible, so
    we really want to take a targeted approach and meet the needs
    of that individual county. In one storm, we may have a flooding
    event in one county but it could be power outages in another
    county. There are going to be different needs, so it is not a
    one-size-fits-all approach.
        Chair Lee. Mr. Eggers, what Secretary Byrd just said
    reminds me of one of your comments in your opening statement
    about finding the right remedies and targeting those remedies
    to fit the needs that develop in a situation.
        Would you describe for us, please, the type of logistical
    problems that Hurricane Helene caused for your election
    procedures, particularly in western North Carolina, and how you
    all adapted to meet those challenges?
        Mr. Eggers. Thank you, Chair Lee.
        The logistics were, first and foremost, communication,
    because we had no communication between the various counties
    and the State to address those items. That was handled in a
    number of different ways, between the Starlinks being
    delivered, but also just by word of mouth, by folks going from
    one county to another.
        Our first emergency resolution, I had to inform a county
    board of elections that we had canceled several of their
    meetings on their behalf, and they said, ``Good. We could not
    get anyone here to do that.''
        It is a process of building communication first and then
    building the infrastructure back so that you can get what is
    needed both through local emergency management, through State
    emergency management, and on up the chain. Logistics are the
    key for building back those precincts in those locations that
    are critical to our access.
        Chair Lee. Thank you, Secretary Eggers.
        I now recognize the Ranking Member for 5 minutes of
    questions.
        Mr. Morelle. Thank you, Madam Chair.
        Ms. Brinson Bell, the administration has, as I mentioned in
    my opening comments--they are cutting Federal Government staff,
    resources that focus on elections as well as critical disaster
    preparedness programs.
        In your written testimony, you mentioned critical
    partnerships and resources, agencies like CISA, EAC, emergency
    management, and other Federal partners.
        As election officials assess and plan for the next
    election, how will the loss of these partnerships and resources
    impact contingency planning and training? How will election
    officials utilize the resources they have to fill these gaps?
    Frankly, is there enough--do they have enough resources to fill
    some of these gaps?
        Ms. Brinson Bell. Thank you for that question.
        Election administrators across the country are certainly
    concerned about the reduced support that we are receiving from
    the Federal agencies, particularly CISA. That was a critical
    partnership in helping us to build out what was really a 6-year
    plan in how we were ready for Helene.
        In North Carolina, we met monthly with our State, Federal,
    and local partners in preparation for any hazard that might be
    necessary to conduct an election through. We had them onsite
    with us during elections, as we positioned ourselves at the
    emergency operations center.
        We very much utilized the Tabletop the Vote exercise, which
    I am not sure will continue with the reduced support. That
    actually had us well-prepared, because we took Tabletop the
    Vote to a statewide exercise that we then delivered to local--
    the 100 counties, for them to exercise with their local
    emergency management, State IT and county IT, you know, various
    partners, law enforcement and so forth, to ensure that, no
    matter the hazard, that we were prepared. I think that is why
    we were able to pivot so quickly.
        I also mentioned that the Federal funding was critical in
    those first few days. It was not a matter of how much we had;
    it was a matter of--the questions to us were, what do you need,
    and those things were delivered. You know, for example, a
    portable toilet was not available in Yancey County to the
    elections office. They did not have those resources. Emergency
    management and FEMA got those in place.
        The same with the seven tent sites that we used. FEMA
    delivered those tents; FEMA provided the security for that. I
    am not sure, given some of the cuts, if we are really in a
    position to ensure that that takes place.
        The legislature certainly provided funding, but it took
    until October 10th for that to come through. The Federal
    Government and the State emergency fund, in particular, were
    the ones who met the need immediately.
        Mr. Morelle. I am curious--in Fiscal Year 2023, the
    appropriation for election assistance from the Federal
    Government was $75 million. We passed out of the Appropriations
    Committee an amount of $15 million, so a cut of 80 percent from
    2023.
        I am just curious. In North Carolina, what does it cost to
    run a statewide Presidential general election?
        Ms. Brinson Bell. The survey in 2016, post-Presidential
    election, was that the cost was $17 million. We know this
    because North Carolina is the only State that requires the
    voting equipment vendors to post a bond to be certified as a
    voting equipment supplier in North Carolina.
        We just completed that survey, and the board just adopted
    the new bond amount, which is over $35 million to conduct a new
    election in the State of North Carolina.
        At $75 million, you know, all of that is halfway spent in
    North Carolina alone. Fifteen million does not even get it
    done. You know, it is costly to conduct a new election.
        Mr. Morelle. Yes.
        You may have said this, and I may have missed it. What was
    the additional cost in 2024 as a result of the natural
    disaster? If you have a baseline amount--you said $75 million,
    roughly. What was the additional cost of the hurricane?
        Ms. Brinson Bell. You know, the additional costs were
    really not something that we had to bring out of our budget.
    There was $2.5 million allotted by the legislature. We spent
    about $500,000, a lot of that on efforts to communicate to the
    voters through a media campaign and so forth.
        The actual other expenditures were absorbed through State
    and Federal funding, through FEMA and the State emergency fund.
        Mr. Morelle. Yes. OK. I do appreciate that.
        Rather than going over, because I am sure my next question
    would elicit a longer answer, I am going to yield back again.
        Thank you to everybody for being here.
        Madam Chair.
        Chair Lee. Thank you.
        I now recognize the gentleman from North Carolina, Dr.
    Murphy, for 5 minutes.
        Dr. Murphy. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
        Thank you guys for coming today.
        I live over in the east, and we have those little whirly
    storms a little bit more over in our neck of the woods than
    they do in the west. Actually, I went in a helicopter and
    surveyed the damage with Senators Tillis and Budd just 3 days
    afterwards, and it was cataclysmic. How you guys got anything
    done is a testament to hard work.
        You know, I hear constantly now, it is the cry of, ``The
    Federal Government is not paying enough.'' We are hurdling
    toward a financial sovereign debt crisis, and it is time,
    actually, for States to stop screaming for the Federal
    Government to pay and now States take a little bit more burden.
        It is great that in North Carolina people had the
    foresight, through the General Assembly, to establish a rainy
    day fund. Hell, that is what it is there for, when it is a
    rainy day or one of those things. It is glad that they had the
    speed with which to work and to be able to fund you in ways
    that we have.
        If there are discrepancies as we move forward, it is time
    for the State to step up. We cannot default the--we cannot
    bankrupt the country, because we have things that need to be
    funded, when States can do these also.
        Just to kind of follow-up with this, with what you guys are
    going through, I believe you really did a very Herculean job in
    pulling this off. Whether it changed elections, I do not know,
    but I still think the fact that we were able to get people to
    vote when literally so many roads were washed out is a miracle.
        Mr. Eggers, let me just ask a couple questions of you.
        How did the State's board, which is a bipartisan board, how
    did that come into play to try actually effectuating
    availability of voting sites and how things get done, and
    hopefully did politics play a role?
        Mr. Eggers. Yes, sir, I am very proud of the work my
    colleagues and I were able to do related to tailoring what was
    needed for emergency relief to a bipartisan nature so that we
    could target those items that could address necessary changes,
    such as relocating polling places if the site or building had
    been destroyed or washed away, while not taking steps that
    would try and give partisan advantage to either side.
        It was a good show of the American spirit of coming
    together in the wake of a disaster, not in the name of politics
    but in the name of, how can we restore consistency to the
    process? Because consistency in elections builds confidence in
    elections. That is what the voters are looking for.
        Dr. Murphy. That is very heartening to hear. In these days
    of horrible partisanship and violence, it is a good testament
    for North Carolina to be able to do that.
        If you had to give a percentage of people that you did not
    feel had access to be able to vote merely because of the storm,
    could you postulate on what that might be?
        Mr. Eggers. That would be difficult to come up with an
    answer, to come up with that solution.
        I would say that, based upon the changes and the work that
    were done and also the records and the procedures taken by both
    the county boards and by their staff, we were able to open all
    but almost seven precincts--in, say, Buncombe County, which has
    200,000 voters--and get voters information to where they could
    still get to a voting site.
        I would like to think we were able to mitigate the impact
    of the storm as far as the accessibility and availability of
    voting to voters, and I am not aware of any voters who stated
    that they were unable to vote in the most recent Presidential
    election.
        Dr. Murphy. Great. Again, testament to a good bipartisan
    nature in North Carolina. Hats off to you guys.
        Just one other question, and then I will shut up. The State
    board allows the local boards to have some flexibility in what
    they do. Was that good? Bad? Indifferent? How well did that
    play into the situation?
        Mr. Eggers. It worked well in all but one county. In one
    county, I believe there was a little bit of gamesmanship that
    was attempted. Ultimately, the legislature stepped in on a
    bipartisan basis and was able to restore a number of sites that
    had been cut----
        Dr. Murphy. Can you expound upon that?
        Mr. Eggers. Yes, sir. In Henderson County, they
    consolidated all of their sites to one central site. It
    resulted in long lines and crowded parking lots. The
    legislature adjusted their plan, on a bipartisan basis, such
    that there was more accessibility to the rural areas of the
    county and the harder-to-reach areas of the county.
        Otherwise, I think all the decisions were, of course,
    bipartisan and were a great success.
        Dr. Murphy. Great. I mean, that is a testament. Because,
    you know, given the hostile nature of what politics is these
    days, I think it is a good lesson for everybody to have
    examples that people can actually work together, let them vote,
    let the voters decide, and be as it is.
        Thank you, Madam Chairman. I will yield back.
        Chair Lee. Great.
        I now recognize the gentlelady from Illinois, Mrs. Miller,
    for 5 minutes.
        Mrs. Miller. Thank you, Chairwoman.
        Thank you to our witnesses today.
        Secretary Byrd, thank you for your testimony and for
    offering your perspective as the chief election officer for a
    State that has long faced natural disasters during the fall
    election season.
        It definitely is a credit to the work of Florida's election
    officials that, despite facing three hurricanes during the 2024
    election, Florida saw the highest voter turnout in 30 years.
        My question is, how does your office guarantee the
    integrity of a displaced voter's ballot?
        Mr. Byrd. This goes once again to being in communication
    with the elected supervisor of elections in that county and
    asking what their specific needs are.
        For example, if there are a high number of displaced
    voters, we change some of the rules to allow a vote-by-mail
    ballot to be sent to the location where they were displaced.
    Where typically that request has to be in writing, we allowed
    them to call in and make that request of the supervisor. That
    is one example.
        Once again, not just the people that are affected but the
    people who--the emergency responders, our first responders, our
    linemen, the people who are making sure the power and safety--
    the power comes back on and the safety--making sure that they
    are able to vote, because many of them come from counties where
    they could be able to vote but now they are in the county that
    has been impacted.
        Mrs. Miller. Thank you.
        When entire counties or localities must be evacuated, how
    do local election supervisors safeguard election infrastructure
    and supplies that are necessary to run polling locations?
        Mr. Byrd. Well, they are the real heroes. I mean, they are
    the ones who--they stay in their counties. I mean, I was on the
    phone with a supervisor of elections who had 3 feet of water in
    her home. She was still doing her job. She was on the phone
    with us.
        Once she made sure that all of her people were safe--I
    mean, her mission, she was elected to do that job. They are
    staying; they are not evacuating. They are staying in their
    county. They are going out as soon as it is safe to go to the
    polling sites to see which are still operable, which are down,
    and what we need to do to then get resources to get those sites
    back up and running.
        Mrs. Miller. Mr. Eggers, in your written testimony, you
    rightly point out that delaying or suspending elections should
    never be an option.
        As your office managed the aftermath of the storm that hit
    North Carolina, how did provisional ballots come into play
    during the 2024 general election when the western part of the
    State was heavily hit?
        Mr. Eggers. Part of the changes that we made related to the
    processing of ballots was to allow absentee ballots to be
    turned in in other localities and locations.
        We were fortunately able to restore connectivity to the
    State, so that allowed counties to have their voter rolls
    accessible to them, so that minimized the need for provisional
    ballots in the various counties.
        I have noted in my statement that, even if we lost all
    communications and a county needed to run an election or a
    precinct needed to run an election with no communication, with
    no computers, with no documentation, that they could do so with
    pens, paper, and a place to store them, and, ideally, envelopes
    for provisional ballots. Really, just pen and paper and a
    waterproof container can run an election in America.
        Mrs. Miller. Are there lessons learned from Hurricane
    Helene that you think will change the way certain practices
    will be implemented either before or after a natural disaster
    strikes?
        Mr. Eggers. Yes. In western North Carolina, we are not used
    to hurricanes. We can handle a snowstorm; we are used to that.
    When it came to a storm that destroyed all of our
    infrastructure, it really highlighted the fact that all of our
    communications are fiber-optic and they are all land-based and
    that we needed a backup system. That is something that each of
    the counties simply did not have, to have a satellite phone,
    such as Secretary Byrd has mentioned, and some of those
    practices.
        I know we are looking at some of the things that Florida
    does as best practices so that we can implement those in North
    Carolina and prepare for natural disasters that we think would
    not affect us.
        Mrs. Miller. Thank you for your testimony.
        I yield back.
        Chair Lee. Without objection, and at the request of
    Representative Bice from Oklahoma, I would like to insert an
    article into the record. The Fox News article is entitled,
    ``Oklahoma power outages linger after ice storm, here is why
    Election Day will not be impacted.''
        [The article referred to follows:]

        [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Chair Lee. I would like to thank our witnesses for
    appearing before us today.
        Members of the Committee may have some additional questions
    for you, and we ask that you please respond to those questions,
    if any, in writing.
        Without objection, each Member will have 5 legislative days
    to insert additional material into the record or to revise and
    extend their remarks.
        [The written testimony of the Southern Poverty Law Center
    follows:]

        [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Chair Lee. If there is no further business, I thank the
    Members for their participation, and, without objection, the
    Subcommittee stands adjourned.
        [Whereupon, at 3:53 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]

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