Elections Officials Prepare For In-Person Voting During Pandemic

PASCO COUNTY, FL — Wear a mask, make liberal use of hand sanitizer and line up 6 feet apart.

That's the new protocol in the age of coronavirus as residents head to the polls to vote in the Aug. 18 primary and Nov. 3 general election.

To protect poll workers and voters from the coronavirus, Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley is implementing safety measures in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines at all polling places.

"While we strongly encourage voters to consider voting by mail," said Corley,"in-person early voting and election day voting will still be available by utilizing precautionary measures in keeping with CDC recommended guidelines."

Voters who choose to vote in person should expect longer wait times as a result of precautionary measures such as limiting the number of people inside the polling room and continuous cleaning of equipment and surfaces.

Planned health and safety measures include:

• Mandatory masks and/or face shields for poll workers
• Availability of single-use styli for electronic signature pads
• Optional use of re-usable ballot secrecy sleeves
• Hands-free check-in with a Florida driver's license and Florida ID cards via 2D barcode reader
• Option to use personal blue or black marking pens to mark ballots
• Available disposable masks for voters, which is strongly encouraged per the county directive and may be required at some voting locations
• Social distancing while in line outside and inside the polling place
• Minimal contamination of touch points through ongoing cleaning of surfaces, voting pens, voting machines, etc.

Early voting will take place in Pasco County from Saturday, Aug. 8 to Saturday, Aug. 15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Click here for a list of early voting sites.

Most polling locations should be open as usual on election day. If changes become necessary, voters will be notified by post card via USPS as time permits, as well receive notices on the supervisor of elections website and automated text alert messages through the Pasco County Emergency Management.

Signs directing voters to their re-located polling places will be posted at former locations.

Voters are statutorily required to vote in their precinct on election day and are encouraged to check any changes in their polling location before leaving home.

To date, there is only one change in polling location. Voters in Precinct 048 will now be voting at Williamsburg Tanglewood Club, 28429 Williamsburg Drive, Wesley Chapel. Additional changes will be posted, and voters will be notified as necessary.

Earlier this month, Corley announced that his office will only post election information directly on the Supervisor of Elections website due to inaccurate and misleading information appearing on the Supervisor of Elections' Facebook and Twitter social media sites about the voting process and the upcoming elections.

"By providing important voter and election information directly from our office, voters can be confident that the information is accurate and nonpartisan," Corley said.

Corley is the only Tampa Bay supervisor of elections to forgo the use of social media to disperse information to the public.

See related stories:

• Elections Supervisor Says Mailings Are Eroding Voter Confidence
• Group Says Pasco Elections Supervisor Discouraging Votes By Mail