Brockton elections leader: Precautions in place at polls to keep voters safe

BROCKTON, Mass. — Brockton city leaders are prepared to welcome thousands of people to the polls Tuesday.

Of the city’s nearly 61,000 registered voters, more than 34% have already cast a ballot by mail or by voting early.

Brockton Elections Commission Executive Director Cynthia Hogan said they expect a voter turnout of at least 80%, so she said voters should be patient at polling places.

“They can probably expect lines, not lasting hours or anything, but it will probably be fairly busy,” Hogan said. “We’re following CDC guidelines and social distancing. You can only let so many people in, so my hope is that they will move right along.”

Brockton has been in the high-risk “red zone” for much of the pandemic, but Hogan said they are prepared to welcome thousands of voters to the polls safely.

“There’ll be masks there if somebody doesn’t have a mask, gloves, hand sanitizer,” said Hogan. “We’ll spray it down, we wipe down the booths. They’re nice and easy to clean.”

Hogan said the city invested in brand new booths this year. They are made of plastic, unlike the old booths that had fabric curtains.

“It’s very hard to keep that cloth sanitized, so after talking with the mayor and discussing what we could do to keep people safer in the polling locations, we thought maybe going with a new booth that could be totally wiped down would be the safest way to go,” said Hogan.

Hogan said while the city has done its part to prepare, they’re also asking for voters' help in staying safe.

“We will do our part in trying to keep not only the poll workers safe but the voters safe, but the voters also have to do their part by making sure that they maintain a good 6-foot distance when they are standing in line and such,” said Hogan. “They [polling places] are schools, so we don’t markup ‘stay 6 feet apart’ for something we’re doing for one day.”

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Cox Media Group