Georgia secretary of state says no election offices ruined by Helene

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) said Tuesday no election offices were ruined by Helene, a storm that has plowed through multiple states, including Florida, North Carolina and Tennessee, leaving destruction in its wake.

“We’ve been monitoring status reports from all 159 counties,” Raffensperger said in a Tuesday statement on the social platform X. “We’re thankful that election offices were spared from substantial, long-term damage. Our staff will be working hand in hand with the counties that need the most support to ensure election operations remain on schedule.” 

Helene, which kicked off as a Category 4 hurricane last week, has been responsible for 25 deaths in Georgia, according to CBS News. The storm has knocked out power in parts of the Peach State, impacting at least 385,000 Georgia residents who are currently without power, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) said Tuesday that he has suspended the gasoline tax in Georgia as the state grapples with residents being without power.

“As Georgians recover from Hurricane Helene, with the support of our legislative partners, I have suspended the gas tax for the duration of this State of Emergency — bringing relief to communities who continue to rely on fuel to power their homes and necessary equipment,” Kemp said in a Tuesday post on X. 

The state’s gasoline tax is just more than 32 cents. 

Utility Georgia Power said Tuesday that Helene is “the most destructive hurricane in the Georgia Power’s history.”