ATLANTA — As the deadline to register to vote approaches, early voting in parts of Georgia that were hit hardest by Hurricane Helene is set to begin on Oct. 15.

The Secretary of State assured that despite challenges such as power outages and damaged buildings, early voting will continue as planned.

Some areas hardest hit by the hurricane, like Augusta in Richmond County, are dealing with these challenges firsthand.

Channel 2′s Richard Elliot spoke with Travis Doss, Elections Supervisor for Richmond County, who said they are working to ensure all four voting locations are ready by Oct. 15.

“Our fourth location did have some trees down, and so the building itself is still structurally sound. So we’re in the process now of getting those trees removed, out of the parking lot, but by the 15th, we should be good to go,” Doss said.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger mentioned their readiness for early voting.

“We are working with the counties, so we will be ready to start early voting on October 15th,” he said.

Raffensperger shared that the Jenkins County elections office had its windows blown out but will be up and running soon.

“Our office was only closed for one day for assessment of the aftermath of the storm. Power was restored, and we reopened Monday,” a Jenkins County supervisor wrote in an email.

The Secretary of State reassured that no election equipment was damaged, and they have reserves if needed.

“We’ve been working overtime with our counties through the hurricane Saturday and Sunday until today. We’ll continue to do that to make sure we are prepared so voters can have the opportunity to come out and vote on Tuesday, Oct. 15th, for early voting,” Raffensperger said.

He expressed gratitude to the governor’s office and Georgia Emergency Management Agency for their assistance and stated they have mobile voting trailers ready if needed to ensure voters can cast their ballots.