The most obvious way to stay healthy during this mid-pandemic election cycle and still vote is to request a mail-in ballot and avoid public polling places altogether. But Donald Trump’s recent efforts to cast (baseless) doubt on the validity and security of voting by mail, not to mention confounding mixups that are doing the process’s reputation no favors, means the best way to ensure your vote is counted—and counted on election night—is to vote in person.
And if you’re going to cast your vote in person this year, it’s essential that you take certain safety precautions to protect yourself and others.
The CDC and the Brennan Center for Justice have put together guidelines to help election officials and poll workers create and maintain safe in-person voting locations, with recommendations ranging from extended hours and improved ventilation systems to plexiglass barriers at check-in, marked spacing on sidewalks for those waiting in line, and frequent sanitizing of machines.
Beyond that, though, individual voters should do everything they can to stay healthy when heading to the polls. Here are a few things the experts recommend:
Wear your mask the entire time you’re waiting in line, checking in and casting your ballot.
Stay six feet away from poll workers and other voters, even if there’s no designated spacing.
Use hand sanitizer after touching any shared surfaces, including the polling machine. Do not wipe down the machines yourself.
Wash your hands before you arrive and after you leave the polling place.
If possible, don’t take anyone with you who isn’t voting. Leave your kids or at-risk family members at home.
Go during off-peak hours if possible. Lines could be long all day depending on where you live, but mid-morning is often quieter. If your state offers early voting, try to go before Election Day.
If you have time, watch the line from your car and jump in when it gets shorter.
Come prepared: check your voter registration and polling place location and hours ahead of time, bring your own black-ink pen, fill out any required forms in advance, and know your ballot so you can complete it quickly.
If you’re sick, contact your local elections office about alternatives, like curbside voting or designated polling locations.
Finally, if you’re healthy and able, consider signing up to be a poll worker. This can take the pressure off folks who are older and at higher risk for COVID-19. Plus, more poll workers means better-staffed polling places, better management of voter safety, and possibly more voting locations staying open on Election Day (for smaller crowds and shorter lines).
This was originally published in August 2020 and updated in September 2020 to reflect the most current information and recommendations.
