Top 10 Things Voters Should Know Before Heading to the Polls on April 7
MADISON, WI – Hundreds of thousands of voters will likely be heading to the polls Tuesday in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s what they should know.
“How and where you vote may have changed because of COVID-19,” said Meagan Wolfe, Wisconsin’s chief elections official. “Local election officials are prepared for Election Day with sanitation supplies and have been trained on social distancing procedures and other guidance developed with a public health official. Now, we’re asking voters to be careful and patient if they go to the polls on Tuesday.”
Wolfe offered these important reminders to voters:
- Because of poll worker shortages, your polling place may have changed due to consolidation. Before heading out to vote, please double-check your polling location atmyvote.wi.gov. Click “Find My Polling Place.”
- Wash your hands before heading to your polling place on Election Day. Hand hygiene is essential for a safe voting experience for everyone at the polls.
- Wash or sanitize your hands again when arriving at your polling place and before voting. A 70% alcohol spray solution will be available at most polling places.
- Things will look different at your polling place. Social distancing and public health related changes have been made to each polling place for this election.
- Please be patient when voting at the polls. The public health procedures being used will slow down some parts of the process when you have to interact with poll workers.
- You may be asked to line up outside your polling place or voting area to ensure only a safe number of voters are in the voting area at one time.
- Social distancing is essential even at your polling place on Election Day. There will be procedures in place to allow for six feet between voters and poll workers to ensure a safe voting experience for everyone.
- Please keep your face-to-face interactions brief with both poll workers and other voters. We want to limit the risk for everyone in the process on Election Day.
- If you are ill and still need to vote on Election Day, curbside voting options are available.
- If you received an absentee ballot, you can return it at your polling place on Election Day if you have not yet returned it to your municipal clerk’s office. The deadline to return absentee ballots to the clerk’s office is 4 p.m. on Monday, April 13.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
More about the 2020 Spring Primary
- Why Don Natzke Couldn’t Vote - Enjoyiana Nururdin - Aug 9th, 2020
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report highlights public health measures taken by the Milwaukee Health and Fire Departments, Department of Administration, Election Commission, and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Aug 4th, 2020
- CDC Says Election Did Not Cause COVID-19 Spike - Erik Gunn - Aug 4th, 2020
- Pandemic Reduced Black Vote, Study Finds - Dee J. Hall - Jun 25th, 2020
- Did April Election Hike COVID-19 Cases? - Alana Watson - May 20th, 2020
- Elections Commission Notes ‘Lessons Learned’ - Henry Redman - May 19th, 2020
- Wisconsin Elections News: WEC Releases Analysis of Absentee Voting in April 7 Spring Election - Wisconsin Elections Commission - May 18th, 2020
- Election’s Impact on County’s COVID-19 Cases Unclear - Jeramey Jannene - May 6th, 2020
- Why State’s Voting By Mail Was Chaotic - Daniel C. Vock - May 4th, 2020
- At Least 40 COVID-19 Cases Tied to Election in Milwaukee - Graham Kilmer - Apr 24th, 2020
Read more about 2020 Spring Primary here
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