COVID-19 has replaced the one we do almost everything and the vote will be no exception.
On Tuesday, the electorate will move to the polls in Maricopa County to vote in the number one election for a handful of elections, from the U.S. Senate. Until the local elections.
It turns out that more electorate than the old man himself is taking advantage of early voting options, however, the county will continue to operate 99 polling stations on users on Election Day number one.
The location and temperament of your polling station will likely differ beyond voting experiences.
If you plan to vote on the user on Tuesday, here’s what to expect at the polls.
First, your voting position will be different from the one you used in the past.
On August 4, 99 polling stations will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. The registered electorate can vote anywhere.
In a giant election, there are regularly about 500 polling stations and the electorate will have to run for the place assigned to them.
Maricopa County Elections Department spokeswoman Megan Gilbertson said the election branch prioritizes larger facilities, such as conference centers, that can serve more electorate while allowing physical estrangement between the electorate and voting officials.
Many classic polling stations in electoral districts are located in small convention halls that would be less safe for the pandemic, he said.
This is the first time the county has held an election of all polling stations, meaning the electorate can vote anywhere and alone in its path. As a result of this change, it encourages the electorate to review the list of polling stations before going to the polls.
Voters can locate the nearest polling station on the Maricopa County Department of Elections online page, locations.maricopa.vote, or by calling 602-506-1511. The online page will also show real-time on-site wait times.
Upon entering the polling station, the electorate will see marks on the floor every six feet to inspire them to stay in the area between them and voting officials.
The checked-in stations, grouped, each will have their own separate six-foot table.
Election officials will disinfect black punches, the maximum effective marker to use on ballots, before handing them over to voters, Gilbertson said.
Each member of the election staff will receive a mask and gloves. A voting officer at the site shall undertake to remediate the polling station.
Gilbertson said that despite national considerations about the shortage of elections, the county is convinced it has enough staff for all sites.
Because there are fewer polling stations, the county wants fewer election officials, only about 900 of the typical 3,500, Gilbertson said.
She said county education dozens more voting officials in case those assigned to paintings at express sites left at the last minute.
“It’s redundancy, ” said Gilbertson. “During the election, redundancy means that we have a contingency plan and that we can find a solution to serve voters.”
Under Help America’s Voting Act, the county denies a user the right to vote if they refuse to wear a mask at the polling station, Gilbertson said.
That said, the county is encouraging the electorate to wear masks and will make the mask and gloves for the entire electorate, he said.
If a voter is not dressed in a mask, election officials are guilty of disinfecting the domain where that user voted, Gilbertson said.
“We have security protocols in place to make sure our election officials and other voters are and have the right to vote,” he said.
Contact the journalist at [email protected] or 480-694-1823. Follow her on Twitter @jboehm_NEWS.
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