Area county clerks prepare for June elections amid coronavirus concerns

On most election days, county clerks and other election officials focus their attention on voting procedures and accurate ballot tallies. But this year they must also be mindful of health and safety precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Missourians were scheduled to vote April 7 in county, municipal and school board elections across the state. However, Election Day was postponed until June 2, when state officials hope the coronavirus crisis will have passed.

But while it appears the worst of the epidemic will have come and gone by then, coronavirus will continue have an impact on how and where voting takes place in some area counties.

In Cape Girardeau County, commissioners voted Monday to obtain bids for “protective shields,” similar to those being used in grocery stores and other retail establishments, which will serve as a see-through barrier between voters and election judges at each of the county’s 31 polling places.

County Clerk Kara Clark Summers is drafting specifications for as many as 100 portable, reusable shields.

“I think these will make election judges feel safer and will help voters feel better, too,” Summers said.

The barriers, she said, will need to be lightweight and storable so they may be used in elections beyond June, “because I don’t think this (coronavirus) is going away anytime soon and we’re going to be facing similar needs in August and possibly in November, too.”

As for the design of the barriers, Summers said they will need to be adaptable to different locations and table configurations.

“Surely somebody out there can think of something that would work for us and I hope it might be something we could get from somewhere in our community,” she said, adding the barriers could be purchased through a state grant earmarked for the county’s COVID-19 needs.

Protective shields are one of several precautionary measures Summers and clerks in surrounding counties are taking to guard against the spread of coronavirus.

Poll workers at most locations will wear masks and gloves and will use disinfectant wipes to help sanitize surfaces at polling places. In addition, voters will be asked to maintain social distancing throughout the voting process.

“We’re going to have the floors marked with tape so people can see where they can stand when they go into the poll locations,” Summers said. Even though the election is more than a month away, she said her office is starting to stock up on hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes.

“We’re looking every day and trying to secure these things because we don’t want to be short-handed when the elections come,” she said.

Perry County

Perry County will consolidate and relocate some polling locations because of COVID-19. In a news release Monday, Perry County Clerk Jared Kutz said consolidation was necessary to ensure the health and safety of election judges, especially those who fall into the “at risk” category for contracting the coronavirus.

“Our election judges are the most crucial part of ensuring our voters can cast a ballot on Election Day, and with continued concerns over COVID-19 it was in the best interest of all parties to reduce the number of judges required to manage fewer polling places so we can protect our judges more efficiently,” he said.

The changes will impact approximately 5,000 of the county’s registered voters, mostly in Farrar, Longtown, Lithium and two of Perryville’s precincts. Postcards will be sent to the affected voters in the coming days, according to the Perry County Clerk’s Office.

Kutz said voters can expect to see increased safety and sanitation measures at polling places in June. Election judges will wear protective masks and gloves, hand sanitizer will be available for voters and voting booths will be sanitized throughout Election Day.

Bollinger County

Bollinger County Clerk Brittany Hovis said she has already purchased Plexiglas table shields for the county’s eight poll locations “and I already have gloves and face masks (for election workers) and hand sanitizer.”

“We’ll also be doing social distancing as best we can,” she said, “and I’m looking at adding some more poll booths to keep people more separated.”

It’s possible, Hovis said, an additional election worker could be added to each voting location, or at least at the locations that traditionally have larger voter turnout, who would be responsible for sanitizing voting booths and other equipment throughout the day.

“I don’t know that every location will have a person just cleaning; at some locations, we may only have 50 voters all day, but at our larger ones, that’s definitely something we’re talking about,” Hovis said.

“I also ordered over 1,000 pens,” she said. Once each pen it used, it can be dropped off in a basket to be sanitized for future use. “That way nobody will have to use the same pen without it being sanitized.”

Scott County

In Scott County, County Clerk Rita Milam said all of the county’s 19 polling places will incorporate health and safety measures similar to those taking place in Bollinger, Perry and Cape Girardeau counties.

“We’re also checking into (adding) protective shields,” she said. “And we’re looking into whether its feasible to sanitize the stylus pens (used to mark the ballots) or just throw them away after a one-time use. We will have sanitizer there, we will have wipes there, we’ll be doing social distancing and doing everything we can to try to protect everyone.”

Milam and the other clerks said voters who are concerned about casting votes at public polling places may request an absentee ballot.

“The (Missouri) legislature might broaden the scope for absentee balloting this year, making it easier to do absentee voting” due to extenuating circumstances caused by COVID-19, she said.

“I think I can speak for all of us clerks,” Milam continued. “We want voters to feel comfortable and safe, and if they have any questions whatsoever, they should contact us long before the election and let’s discuss it and see what we can do to help them.”

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