Congresswoman Nikema Williams Leads Call for Federal Support to Ensure Safe and Accessible Elections Following Hurricane Helene

ATLANTA – Today, Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05) led a group of lawmakers in sending two urgent letters to the United States Postal Service (USPS) and to the Biden-Harris Administration, calling for immediate federal action to ensure that elections remain safe and accessible in the wake of Hurricane Helene and incoming Hurricane Milton.

The letters emphasize the urgent need for both timely information sharing from USPS and logistical support and emergency resources to assist local election offices in six states—Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee—that have been severely impacted by the storm.

“Given the widespread devastation, it is essential that USPS operations be restored as swiftly as possible and that voters are fully informed about how to access their mail,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. The letter also requests that USPS provide a public, comprehensive list of impacted zip codes and information on where mail is being rerouted or held.

The second letter, addressed to President Joseph R. Biden, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, urgently requests an allocation of $500,000 in Emergency Work Public Assistance funds to each affected state’s statewide election office. This funding is crucial to address the operational challenges facing local election offices and to ensure that voters are not disenfranchised. The letter details the need for funding to support immediate operational needs, such as deploying mobile voting units, providing hazard pay for poll workers, and replacing damaged voting equipment.

The lawmakers noted, “This request is a temporary measure to ensure that there are no delays that limit the ability of eligible voters to cast their ballots and have them counted during this election.”

The letters come as early voting is set to begin in several of the affected states, and many local election offices are still struggling to restore operations. Congresswoman Williams and her colleagues underscored the need for rapid action to prevent potential disenfranchisement of voters in these communities.

The lawmakers have requested that this funding be made available within the next 10 days, given that voting is already underway and critical deadlines are approaching rapidly. They have called on the executive branch, particularly the White House, the National Security Council (NSC), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and FEMA, to prioritize these emergency funds for election officials.

The letter to Postmaster DeJoy was signed by the following members: Rep. Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), Rep. Becca Balint (VT-AL), Rep. Sean Casten (IL-06), Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Rep. Troy Carter (LA-02), Rep. J. Luis Correa (CA-46), Rep. Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Rep. Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Rep. Suzan K. DelBene (WA-01), Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Rep. Lois Frankel (FL-22), Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10), Rep. Dan Goldman (NY-10), Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-07), Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-02), Rep. Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Rep. Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), Rep. Ro Khanna (CA-17), Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-12), Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08), Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06), Rep. Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Rep. Wiley Nickel (NC-13), Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), Rep. Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Rep. Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Rep. David Scott (GA-13), Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Rep. Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Rep. Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-43), Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12).

The letter to the White House, DHS, FEMA, and NSC was signed by the following members: Rep. Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), Rep. Becca Balint (VT-AL), Rep. Sean Casten (IL-06), Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Rep. Troy Carter (LA-02), Rep. J. Luis Correa (CA-46), Rep. Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Rep. Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Rep. Lois Frankel (FL-22), Rep. Dan Goldman (NY-10), Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-07), Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-02), Rep. Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Rep. Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), Rep. Ro Khanna (CA-17), Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-12), Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08), Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06), Rep. Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Rep. Wiley Nickel (NC-13), Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), Rep. Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Rep. Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Rep. David Scott (GA-13), Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Rep. Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-43).

Click here for the full text of the letter to Postmaster DeJoy.

Click here for the full text of the letter to the White House, DHS, FEMA, and NSC.

Congresswoman Nikema Williams proudly serves Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District on the exclusive Financial Services Committee. She is a champion of voting rights and builds on the Fifth District’s legacy as the cradle of the civil rights movement. Congresswoman Williams is committed to closing the racial wealth gap and ensuring the promise of America for all–regardless of your ZIP code or bank account.

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