With COVID-19 cases spiking on campus and around the country, it’s important to still exercise your right to vote today. If quarantined, or if you, yourself, have COVID-19 you can still get out and vote thanks to the safety guidelines and measures that the CDC has outlined. 

 “In-person voting can be carried out safely following CDC’s recommendations for polling location and voters”, a CDC spokesperson wrote in an email on Monday.

With in-person voting, it’s highly important that poll workers know about your condition upon arrival at your designated polling location. Poll workers will be prepared with personal protective equipment, such as face shields, gowns, and gloves to protect themselves and prevent the spread of the virus.

Additionally, earlier this week officials outlined precautionary steps to keep in-person voters safe at the polls, which includes disposable pens and pencils and cleanable placemats for privacy booths.

On the other hand, the CDC website has outlined alternate voting options to minimize contact such as, “designated polling site or curbside voting for sick voters”, and the use of an absentee ballot.

Those who are suffering from an underlying medical condition that deters them from voting can file an emergency application for an absentee ballot without having to leave their homes.

If quarantined, you can call your town clerk for an emergency absentee ballot that can be hand-delivered to you on Election Day. https://t.co/3QoPiHXG5A

— Denise Merrill (@SOTSMerrill) October 30, 2020

If you decide to file for an emergency application, you must have validity for voting this way. This includes anyone who either has undergone an unforeseen illness or physical disability occurring within six days before the close of polls or that they are patients in a hospital within the six-day period.

Lastly, it’s important to take your own safety measures when voting today. Simple tips such as wearing a protective mask, staying socially distanced, and minimizing the time you spend waiting inside, can all be extremely helpful in preventing the spread of the virus and keeping yourself safe. 

Stick with Q30 News for more information on voting and the results of the Presidential Election.