Washington Post: Shuttered polling places and a dearth of cleaning supplies: Voters confront pandemic-fueled confusion at the polls

03.17.2020 / By Elise Viebeck, Amy Gardner, Isaac Stanley-Becker and Mark Guarino
Washington Post: Shuttered polling places and a dearth of cleaning supplies: Voters confront pandemic-fueled confusion at the polls

In Florida, Palm Beach County had some of the worst disruptions in the state, said Liza McClenaghan of Common Cause Florida: By midmorning, some polling places had not opened, some opened late and some were understaffed.

Voters in Chicago on Tuesday confronted shuttered precincts, missing poll workers and confused officials struggling to administer an election during a public health crisis, a chaotic situation that voting advocates said created barriers for those trying to participate in the state’s Democratic presidential primary.

The problems in Illinois appeared to be the most acute examples of issues in three states that voters faced related to the coronavirus outbreak. Arizona, Florida and Illinois chose to proceed with their contests this week, while a fourth state — Ohio — postponed in a controversial, eleventh-hour move on Monday night.

The last-minute challenge facing election officials was unprecedented, experts said: making sure people could visit polling locations and cast their ballots safely — even as health officials were issuing dire warnings about the need to stay isolated to stop the spread of covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, advocates say. …

In Florida, Palm Beach County had some of the worst disruptions in the state, said Liza McClenaghan of Common Cause Florida: By midmorning, some polling places had not opened, some opened late and some were understaffed.

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