In 12 months of Voting by Mail, a Scramble to Beef Up In-Particular person Voting, Too

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In 12 months of Voting by Mail, a Scramble to Beef Up In-Particular person Voting, Too

Mr. Gronke recalled a tabletop train this summer season about attainable election catastrophe eventualities. One official from a tiny jurisdiction


Mr. Gronke recalled a tabletop train this summer season about attainable election catastrophe eventualities. One official from a tiny jurisdiction requested for recommendation ought to one of many 4 election staff in its single workplace contract the coronavirus every week earlier than the election, forcing the remaining three into quarantine.

“That simply stopped the dialog,” he stated.

Some locales are making do with comparatively minor changes. In Hennepin County, Minn., residence to Minneapolis and 800,000 registered voters, officers have closed a number of cramped voting websites and consolidated them with precincts the place the polling place is extra spacious. Recruitment of ballot staff has gone properly, and a trial run of the brand new plans throughout an area main final month was judged successful, stated Ginny Gelms, the Hennepin County elections supervisor.

“This election shall be troublesome,” she stated, “however we’re feeling fairly good proper now.”

Maricopa County, Ariz., one of many nation’s largest voting jurisdictions, which incorporates Phoenix, has successfully redrawn its election system to deal with well being issues.

A overview after the first election in March concluded that lots of the 500 polling locations had been too small to soundly accommodate voters, Megan Gilbertson, a spokeswoman for the county elections division, stated in an interview. So for the November election, polling has been moved to as many as 175 voting facilities, in locations like purchasing malls and conference services.

Eighty of the websites shall be open for a 27-day early voting interval that may characteristic expanded night and weekend hours. Each then and on November 3, voters will be capable to solid a poll at any of the websites.

The consolidation carries an additional profit: It allowed the county to slash its 3,600-person corps of ballot staff in half — to 1,800 — even whereas increasing the variety of check-in stations at every polling place.



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