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Face shields will be available for polling place personnel

3 min read
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Face shields will be available for personnel stationed at polling places for the June 2 primary, Pennsylvania’s commonwealth’s secretary said in a conference call with reporters Friday.

Kathy Boockvar said the face shields will be part of an array of protective equipment and supplies volunteers will have access to. Boockvar pointed this out in a call co-hosted with Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Bob Casey that focused on issues related to voting in rural communities.

The face shields will be provided through the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) at no cost to counties. PEMA will also be providing additional masks and hand sanitizer.

Even though Pennsylvania has received 1.7 million applications for mail-in primary ballots, with 100,000 arriving in the last couple of days, according to Boockvar, voters will still be able to cast a ballot in person if they choose to do so. This election year is the first in which Pennsylvania is allowing mail-in ballots without a voter needing to provide an excuse.

“None of us have ever been through anything like this before,” Boockvar said. “It’s been really, really tough. Counties have been working incredibly hard.”

Boockvar also said that, as a percentage of voters, the most applications for mail-in ballots were coming from rural counties and from those aged 65 and over “by a long shot.” The next highest group were voters aged between 55 and 64.

“Older voters are taking advantage of this opportunity,” she said. Boockvar also pointed out that recipients of mail-in ballots should not wait and should “send in your ballot as soon as you receive it. We want you to get your ballot in as soon as possible.”

Various panelists on the call discussed issues affecting voters who are young, old, in a minority group or dealing with disabilities. For instance, Diane Mineo, executive director of the Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly (CARIE), expressed concern about the availability of polling places within nursing homes and said some older voters might find it hard to navigate the process of applying for a mail-in ballot.

“Many of us like to go to the polling booth and cast a ballot,” Mineo said.

Casey also put in a plug for legislation recently approved by the U.S. House of Representatives that would provide $3.6 billion to local and state governments to make voting safer amid the pandemic. The money would go toward the purchase of equipment, technology and supplies. There is no indication when or if the U.S. Senate will give its approval to the legislation.

“We want to make sure everyone can vote,” Casey said.

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