BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) – Tuesday is election day across Wisconsin. So what can you expect when you show up at the polls?
“There will be a number of different ways that the polling locations will be set up,” says Brown County Clerk Sandy Juno, “People will be wearing masks at the polls, and anyone going to the polls would be asked to wear a mask as well…When they come in, they should certainly use hand sanitizer. We ask that they do that when they leave as well…There will be sanitation throughout the day to help keep down any kind of contact among people that go to the polls.”
Juno hopes that people are patient and understanding with the mask request – saying that she knows there are mixed feelings about the topic, but that they are asking for them to ensure a higher level of safety for poll workers and other electors.
Juno is also asking voters to come prepared when they arrive at their polling sites to reduce time spent in close-quarters with other people.
“With the Photo ID, they can have that out. If somebody is going to register to vote at the polling location, make sure that they have their paperwork readily available. That will just cut down the amount of contact time they have with poll workers,” Juno says, “They certainly won’t experience the same kind of wait time that they had in spring. Their lines should move along fairly quickly. Having that spacing, I think it will make the whole process go much more smoothly.”
Now, despite all of the sanitation measures and efforts to cut the potential transmission of COVID-19 at the polls, it’s not exactly clear how busy they might be in the first place. With another record-setting election expected for absentee voting, Juno isn’t quite sure what to expect.
“It could be a little bit slower just because there is such a high percentage of absentees that already voted,” Juno tells WTAQ News, “I think we may have a little bit higher participation, but think that’s going to be a result of the number of people that are voting absentee.”
But whatever the case may be by the time polls close at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday night, Juno hopes they are able to once again learn from experience for a significantly larger election just a few months down the road.
“The things we’re doing now will help us identify any areas where we need to prepare for November,” Juno says.
Juno expects to see a much higher turnout – both in-person and absentee – for the general and presidential election on November 3rd.
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