TALLAHASSEE --- Face shields, temperature checks and disposable pens are just some of the safeguards Florida officials plan to employ to combat COVID-19, as they brace for elections in August and November.
Collectively, Floridaâs 67 county supervisors of elections have decades of experience responding to disasters. Theyâve combatted hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, wildfires and even the historic Bush v. Gore meltdown in 2000.
But the coronavirus pandemic presents a calamity of a different kind, posing an unknown threat thatâs forcing elections officials to plan for a continuum of possibilities.
âItâs extremely challenging,â Leon County Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley, whoâs worked in the elections industry for more than three decades, told The News Service of Florida.
Elections officials had what Earley called a âdry runâ during the presidential primary elections as the novel coronavirus, which causes the respiratory disease known as COVID-19, quickly spread through the state in March.
The number of COVID-19 cases has skyrocketed in Florida over the past few weeks, prompting state and local officials to halt or slow down reopening measures that had been aimed at reviving the economy. Even as COVID-19 cases spike, public health officials predict a second wave this fall could be equally or more virulent.
Elections supervisors are taking measures to avoid problems that erupted during the March primaries, when they were faced with cancellations of early-voting and Election Day polling sites, last-minute poll-worker absences and scanty supplies of hand sanitizer and other disinfectant agents.
Theyâre buying no-contact thermometers to check poll workersâ temperatures. Theyâre planning to set up curbside tents so voters can drop off mail-in ballots without getting out of their cars. Theyâre sending out information cards to let voters know if polling sites have changed.
And theyâre reducing the number of âtouch pointsâ for voters and poll workers, all in an attempt to curb the spread of the highly contagious disease, which was linked to more than 3,600 deaths in Florida as of Tuesday.
Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer will rely on face shields and Plexiglas barriers to separate poll workers and voters. Latimerâs also enlisted one of his countyâs busiest Election Day locations for use during the two-week early voting period. Heâs combining some voting sites, due to a loss of 21 Election Day precincts --- a little less than 9 percent --- of available locations, all because of COVID-19.
âThe one thing about the supervisors is flexibility,â Latimer, president of the Florida Supervisors of Elections association, said in a phone interview. âLiving in Florida, one of the things we always had to prepare for is hurricanes and work around that. And, son of a gun, they come right in the middle of our primary election and they could come in our general, too. So I think it's just a matter of contingencies.â
The biggest concern right now, however, âis the community at large,â Latimer said.
âWeâre seeing these huge spikes in COVID-19 cases. This is dangerous, and people need to heed the warnings out there. Weâre being very strict in our office and if youâre an employee youâre getting your temperature taken and youâre wearing a mask. Weâre really trying to deal with this right now,â he added.
Voters throughout the state will encounter a variety of protective measures if they decide to cast ballots in person during the Aug. 18 primary elections and Nov. 3 general election.
For example, while Latimer will test the temperatures of poll workers, he wonât require voters to subject to thermometer screens. Neither will Broward County Supervisor of Elections Pete Antonacci, who was appointed by former Gov. Rick Scott two years ago to head the stateâs second-largest elections office.
âIâm not conditioning anybodyâs constitutional right,â Antonacci told the News Service, adding that thermometers and face masks will be available for voters, if they want them.
But Earley said some Leon County polling sites might require temperature checks on Election Day.
âIf that's what a polling site requires, we cannot force them to change that. We do have the option of moving voters out of that site to a new location. So that is a decision point we are trying to weigh as we make our final plans for the upcoming elections,â he said.
To minimize contact during in-person voting, Antonacci said voters no longer will have to hand their driverâs licenses to poll workers before obtaining their ballots.
âWeâve ditched all that, and we have a handheld device that can read your DL,â he said.
Heâs also providing single-use, plastic-encased pens for voters to sign in and to fill out their ballots.
âEvery facility will have lots of hand sanitizers, lots of alcohol, lots of hand wipes. Weâre just going to stock them up,â Antonacci added.
Like Antonacci and other supervisors, Earley is stocking up on disinfecting supplies, and heâs giving each polling site an extra $200 to cover deep-cleaning expenses after the elections.
Although President Donald Trump frequently disparages the vote-by-mail process as an opportunity for fraud, county elections officials for the most part are encouraging voters to cast their ballots by mail, an option thatâs been available to Floridians since 2002.
Some supervisors expect to see requests for mail-in ballots double.
âWe have nonpartisan support for vote-by-mail in this state. Itâs an approved method. Itâs a state method. Even the president used it,â Latimer said.
Earley called mail-in voting an âinsurance policyâ for voters, amid the uncertainty caused by COVID-19.
âThis is such a dynamic and changing situation,â he said. âWeâre trying to have flexible plans ⊠and it might turn out that itâs not a big deal in August. But then, this fall could make what weâve gone through this past spring look like childâs play.â
The supervisors warned that Floridians who show up in person to cast ballots --- especially on Election Day --- need to be patient.
âItâs going to be a slower process. We are going to be social distancing. We do have the privacy booths spread out a little bit. Weâre reducing the touch points for our poll workers. Weâre going to be wiping things down,â Latimer said.
In Broward County, which has been notorious for submitting election results long after the polls close at 7 p.m., people âhave to have reasonable expectations about the results on election night,â Antonacci said.
âFor my part, Iâm going to break my neck to beat Miami and West Palm,â he quipped, pointing to Browardâs southern and northern neighbors. âCompetition is good. And itâs the one measuring stick regular people understand.â
*News Service Florida
Photo by: Getty Images/ AFP