Your Town Administrator, Town Clerk, Supervisors of the Checklist, Select Board members, and Town Moderator have been meeting regularly, and we have been attending Zoom meetings organized by the Attorney General’s Office, the Secretary of State’s Office, and the state’s Epidemiology Office; all with the goal of making sure that both the primary elections and the general election will run smoothly and be as safe as possible during the ongoing threat of COVID-19.
While many changes have already been made, there are still many things under consideration. During these meetings, questions are at times answered with, “Stay tuned, we’re working on that.”
This means that all of us will need to be patient and flexible over the next few weeks as the elections approach, and on Election Day. Things will not be done the same way as they have been done in the past.
When you come to vote in Andover, the poll workers will be wearing masks, and wherever possible, they’ll be behind plexiglass shields. There will be plenty of hand sanitizer and masks for voters to use.
In order to keep people safe, foot traffic through the gym will be one way. Voters will enter through the main entrance. The floor will be marked with painter’s tape to make it easier to practice social distancing. Hand sanitizer will be available at many locations. You should sanitize your hands before you receive your ballot and after you submit it.
When you check in, you will be given a paper mat which you should use in the voting booth or table to rest your ballot on while you mark it. You and your ballot will not need to touch the surface of the booth or table. Each voter will be given their own pencil to mark the ballot. After you have checked out and turned in your ballot, you should leave the polling area through the exit as marked in the gym.
Most of our poll workers are older and in a higher risk group should they contract COVID-19. They will be following recommended protocols to keep you, the voters, safe. Please do the same for them.
Scientists and medical experts tell us that there are three things that individuals can do to decrease the risk of transmitting or getting COVID-19: wear a mask, practice social distancing, and wash your hands regularly. The Town Moderator, other election officials, and the Select Board strongly encourage all voters to be safe and respect the safety of others by wearing a mask for the Primary Election on Tuesday, September 8 and for the General Election on Tuesday, November 3.
Voters who choose not to wear a mask will be offered an alternate voting location within the school, or they may choose to use curbside absentee voting.