North Carolina taking extra safety precautions for in-person and early voters

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Record numbers of North Carolinians are requesting mail-in ballots, but there are still plenty of people who prefer to vote early and in person.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections said it will follow a number of safety protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them:

• Enforcing social distancing at polling places and early voting sites
• Providing hand sanitizer and masks for voters and election workers who do not bring their own
• Providing gloves and face shields for election workers
• Erecting barriers between election workers and voters at check-in tables
• Providing single-use pens in counties that use hand-marked paper ballots and Q-tips for voters who use ballot-marking devices
• Frequently cleaning surfaces and equipment in polling places and early voting sites
• Recruiting poll workers who are less vulnerable to the virus

Early voting starts Oct. 15 and ends Oct. 31. According to elections officials, there will likely be more than 400 polling sites across the state. They will be open for more hours than in 2016. Before and after work normal work hours tend to be the busiest times.

Those who are opting to vote by mail should consider sending off their ballots sooner than later.

The NCSBE is also looking for people to work polling locations.

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