Madison Clerk’s Update on safe voting on Tuesday (Updated)

April 5, 2020 8:17 am

This is what the clerk’s office sent out for those who will be voting in person on Tuesday. Looks like it was sent to poll workers. (Updated with updates for Chief Inspectors)

This was sent to my neighborhood liserve, it looks like good information so you know what to expect if you plan to vote in person on Tuesday.

CITY UPDATES

« Polling Place Changes «

We have consolidated our 93 polling places into 65 locations for this election. An interactive map of all polling place changes is online. Please share this link on social media or email lists. https://bit.ly/3dIjOTJ
The MyVote.wi.gov website, the Clerk’s website, and the Assessor’s website have all been updated with the new locations.
Instead of a set greeter station and registration table, two people at every polling place will be assigned to the “curbside team.”
The curbside team will have access to plastic face shields
Assist curbside voters (calling on absentee processors to help if needed)
Fulfill the usual greeter role
Prevent too many voters from entering the polling place at one time
There will be only one poll book table at each polling place, regardless of how many wards are there. It will be equipped with a protective Plexiglas shield.
Two workers at a time will handle the poll books and check ID.
Poll books will not be split A-L, M-Z.
Remember that poll workers will never touch a voter’s ID.
We have prepared a guide to ID types that are too new to be expired (so no need to look for the date), which will be at the poll book table: https://www.cityofmadison.com/clerk/documents/Acceptable%20WI%20ID.pdf
We expect that the vast majority of voters will be absentee, so this task will be mostly checking in absentee ballots.
There will be one ballot table, with two workers at each location. It will also have a protective Plexiglas shield. We cannot stress enough the importance of using the ballots at combined polling places and polling places with multiple school districts. This election is already being litigated and we need our results to be able to hold up to the scrutiny of a recount or lawsuit.
Everyone else will be processing absentee ballots and assisting with voter registration or curbside voting as needed.

« Curbside Voting on Election Day (Reminders)«

We will likely experience higher than ever requests for curbside voting.
We offer curbside voting at every election, but there may be more demand for it this April. Remember: the poll book does not leave the polling place. Instead of the voter’s signature, the worker at the signature copy of the poll book will write “voted curbside” in the signature box.
It is entirely inappropriate to question a voter’s decision to vote curbside. Decisions about personal safety are personal and not subject to your review.

« Safety Supplies and Procedures at the Polls «

City Engineering has fabricated Plexiglas barriers to help keep poll workers and voters safe. There will be one at the poll book table and one at the ballot table.
Hand sanitizer will be available for voters to use as they enter and leave the polling place.
Poll workers will have gloves available. Not every task requires gloves. We remind you that even though you are wearing gloves, you still cannot touch your face. You are encouraged to use sanitizing wipes to wipe down your gloves throughout the day.
The City has obtained 500 plastic face shields for use on Election Day. These are a shared resource. They will be sanitized between users. Workers will only be using face shields when engaging directly in a task that requires less than 6 feet of distance, such as workers who are actively helping voters curbside. They are not to be worn by workers sitting behind a protective Plexiglas shield.

UPDATES TO CHIEF INSPECTORS

Here’s the message to Chief Inspectors!

As you may have heard, we have a Federal Court Order that moves the statutory deadline for the receipt of absentee ballots to 4 p.m. on Monday, April 13. This will change some of our procedures on Election Day.

We are under Federal Court Order to not run any results on election night. To do so would be a criminal act. Poll workers are forbidden from releasing any unofficial election results. Don’t even try to get an idea of who won any contest on the ballot; to do so may be a criminal act. Don’t talk about who may have won any contest on the ballot at your polling place; to do so may be a criminal act.

Again, our procedures at the end of the night will be changing. Do not run the results tapes on election night! To do so would violate a Federal Court Order and would be a criminal act. There will be no modem transmittal of results on election night. The memory stick will remain in the tabulator. We have removed the “Closing the Polls” checklist from your yellow binders and will send you updated “Closing the Polls” checklists when absentees are delivered to your polling location on Tuesday.

Failure to comply with the Federal Court Order will result in your dismissal as a poll worker.

Additionally, it is very important that we follow the Election Day procedures we are adopting at the direction of Public Health of Madison – Dane County. Because public safety is at stake, we have no room for individual polling place innovations. Here is the plan as of Friday, April 3:

The Chief Inspector will run through the poll worker COVID-19 screening tool (list of questions) with each poll worker at the beginning of their shift. You received those questions in a separate e-mail message on Friday.
There will be two poll workers at the poll book table. They will sit six feet apart from each other, behind a Plexiglas shield that is already installed at your polling location. These shields were designed and constructed by City Engineers. They are not to be altered. There is space underneath the shield to slide the poll book forward for the voter’s signature.
The poll worker who is handing out ballots will also sit behind a Plexiglas shield that is already installed at your polling location. This shield was also designed and constructed by City Engineers, and is not to be altered. There is space underneath the shield to slide the ballot to the voter.
Poll workers who are working in close proximity to others (e.g., curbside teams) should wear the plastic face shields that you will find in the supply tote. Do not stick your head in a voter’s vehicle. Respect social distancing.
Poll workers who are processing absentees need to stay six feet away from each other. We still want to keep an eye on each other for accountability purposes, but from a distance of six feet.
A bottle of hand sanitizer should be placed on the poll book table. Voters should be encourage to use hand sanitizer when they step up to the poll book table. This will allow time for their hands to dry before they touch their ballot.
A bottle of hand sanitizer should be placed near the polling place exit for voters to use as they exit the polling place.
Voting booths should be sprayed with disinfectant after each use. (This is an update from what we discussed in training.) Poll workers with fragrance sensitivities might need to avoid this task.
Never use sanitizer or disinfectant spray on the tabulator or ExpressVote touch screen! You have screen cleaning wipes specifically for the touch screens (found in the ballot box).
Spray ballot marking pens with disinfectant spray after each use.
Voters may use their own pens, as long as they are ballpoint pens with blue or black ink. No sharpies because they can bleed through the ballot. No gel pens (pens that write really smoothly) because the ink does not dry fast enough, gums up in the tabulator, and causes ballot jams. No green or red ink because the tabulator may not see it.
Poll workers should not share the pen they are using with others, unless they first spray the pen with disinfectant.
Poll workers are encouraged to frequently wash their hands with soap and water, or frequently use hand sanitizer.
There are 50 pair of gloves in your supply tote. If you choose to wear gloves, remember that the CDC warns they may provide a false sense of security. Just because you are wearing gloves does not mean it’s okay to touch your face. The Wisconsin Elections Commission has provided guidance on how to remove gloves here .
If you choose to bring a paper-based or form-fitting mask from home, you will be required to sign a green “voluntary use waiver” form. Cloth masks or other cloth over the face does not require the form. Based on CDC guidance, the City of Madison neither encourages nor discourages the use of cloth masks.
Avoid touching your face.
Sorry, no potlucks for this election.
Each polling location should designate one poll worker to keep reminding everyone in the polling place to follow these safety procedures, and to practice social distancing.

Many of you have been sending articles and suggestions. Some of you have demanded that I set up a meeting for you to give advice to the City Emergency Operations Center. That is not how the Emergency Operations Center works.

We need to follow the plan set forth by the professionals at Public Health. Their plan is not negotiable or optional. It is mandatory. If Public Health changes any of its guidance for us as Election Day approaches, we will let you know.

Thank you for taking both the Federal Court Order and the directives we have received from Public Health seriously. And thank you for working this election.

Maribeth Witzel-Behl

Madison City Clerk

Wisconsin Certified Professional Clerk