Voting will be in-person in November; BOE working to make it safe

NORWALK — Cecelia Blevins, director of the Huron County Board of Elections, said voting by mail in April "was a lot of work" and came with challenges. She said many people did not receive their ballots by mail in time for voting, despite being sent out in time. "They didn't receive it until after the election so that is a huge problem," Blevins said. The March 17 election was postponed and set a date of April 28 for the election, conducting the primary election by mail in the state. For the November election, plans are to vote in-person. "We will have early voting here for the election and we will have in-person voting on the election day," she said. "There is also curbside voting available for those who are unable to get out of their vehicles." People will have to apply for an absentee ballot for those wanting to vote before election day and applications are being mailed out to registered voters by the secretary of state in the first week of September. "If they want an absentee ballot mailed to them, they have to fill out the application and send it into their board of elections," Blevins said. At this point, Blevins has visited 11 of the precinct's polling locations and have 11 more to check. The board of elections has plans to set up plastic barriers at the polling locations, use face masks, hand sanitizer, and cleaning agents readily available. "There'll be a cleaning agent that we're going to be using on all the markers and other stylists. We'll have extra stylists and markers so people will always be using clean items when they're voting," she said. Social distancing marks on the floor will tell voters where to stand. Early voting will still be available at the board of elections. Ohio Voter Rights Coalition announced recommendations endorsed by more than 200 public health professionals from all over Ohio calling for specific procedures to make in-person voting safer. The recommendations include all voters waiting inside or outside of the polling location must observe rules regarding 6-foot distancing, polling locations being required to post signage encouraging those with underlying conditions ask for "special protection," and all workers and voters must wear face masks or shields when inside. "It is imperative that the in-person voting process for this November be structured to be safe and uniform for the 88 Ohio counties. Poll workers usually work a 13 to 14 hour day. Regardless of their age, they must be protected, as should be the voters," said Alice Frazier, a retired family physician and professor in the Department of Family Medicine at The Ohio State University. Other recommendations are requiring voters to washing hands or use hand sanitizer when entering and leaving the polling locations, having plastic barriers at poll worker stations and indoor polling places must be well ventilated or well filtered. "Safeguarding everyone's right to vote safely in the midst of a pandemic, must be our society's highest priority," said retired Judge Ronald B. Adrine of Cleveland. "It goes without saying that this is particularly true when speaking of the voting rights of those who are at highest risk — African Americans, seniors, other people of color, those in the lower socioeconomic strata, and younger adults with many common medical conditions." Of the six recommendations, Blevins said they're addressed all of them. "We've already ordered all the stuff we needed. We already got the barriers ordered. We've been going to our locations, how we're going to set up the tables to social distance everybody, how we're going to set up the booths," Blevins said. "We've been doing that all summer. We've really been working hard to make sure all the locations are safe for workers and for the voters." She hopes to have a group who will go out prior to the elections, get into polling locations and set up tables and barriers so they're ready when poll workers arrive on election morning." Blevins has sent out surveys to past poll workers to see how they're feeling about this election and she said the board is always in need of new workers. "We've also been told we could hire extra poll workers for the sanitation part of it where they will be cleaning so other people can still do their jobs, and constantly going around and making sure the polling locations are clean," she said. "If anybody is interested they can call the office and we can certainly put them down for the election. We have training at the end of September." Those interested in working the polls should call as soon as they can, Blevins said, because "the earlier they call us the better." Lawyers who work the polls that day can get continuing legal education hours. "We're working really hard to get everything ready for all the voters. We want the workers and the voters to be very safe in this election," Blevins said.