Meagan Wolfe
At polling places around the state Tuesday, the focus will be on safe social distancing, in order to keep voters and poll workers as safe as possible from coronavirus. Meagan Wolfe is Administrator of the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
“You’ll see social distancing built into every step of the process, from waiting outside to enter, to standing in line, and then again at the photo ID and poll book table and the registration table..” Wolfe said “So please do listen to the direction of your poll workers, as they’ll advise you exactly how social distancing will apply to their facility.”
Top 10 Things Wisconsin Voters Should Know Before Heading to the Polls on April 7https://t.co/Q87U73PqTq
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Voters will be asked to sanitize their hands before and after beginning the process, and to maintain a six foot distance between themselves and poll workers.
“Each polling place needs to determine how many people can safely accomplish social distancing while occupying that facility,” said Wolfe. “And so if they determine that 20 people can be in the facility at once, in terms of poll workers, voters and observers, then they’re going to need to enforce those limits to ensure that social distancing can occur.”
Procedures will include safely checking photo IDs. “What this allows is for the voter when instructed to step up to the poll book table, set down their photo ID, while the poll worker steps away while the person’s at the table. Then the voter’s going to be asked to step six feet away from the table, while the poll worker comes up and looks at the ID. They will not be handling it, but they will be looking at the ID as it sets on the table.”
A similar process will be used for signing the poll book, with voters allowed to keep the pen they use.