Sometimes, complaining nicely (but forcefully) can make a difference. I blogged about the incident at our polling place (“Voting today – how were masks/no masks handled in your town? Mine – a problem“) when an irate Dad had come up to some of the sign holders with the exclamation of:
ICYMI: Wanna Reconsider Your Words, Democrat Ambassador to NH, Jeanne Shaheen?
“you folks are each losing a vote from me because the Assistant Moderator really gave my now 18 year old son a very hard time in not wearing a mask so I AM NOT GOING INTO VOTE”..
The rest of the post talks about the unreadiness of the polling place for those that were maskless and the discussion with the Chair of the Selectboard. Well…
In our Guest Contributor post “Comment on Prepping To Vote While Staying Safe From The Coronavirus“, frequent commenter OldNHMan left this comment that was noticed (emphasis mine):
I suppose I can use this as an opportunity to bring up a few more points.
If you’re concerned about “catchin’ the Covid” or spreading it while voting, consider voting absentee. You don’t have to mail it in if you’re concerned about it being received on time but can drop it off at Town or City Hall in order to ensure it has been received. If this is the path you decide you want to take, then make a request for an absentee ballot now.
Speaking of absentee ballots, during our most recent Board of Selectmen meeting, our town clerk stated that over 1,000 absentee ballot requests had already been received for the November general election. That’s about one-sixth of the total registered voters in our town. She expects quite a few more before then.
One of the other subjects brought up at the BOS meeting was planning for changes that needed to be made at our polling place for the November election. Due to the difficulties seen (and other observations made) at the Septemb er state primary elections, a list of proposed changes for the November election was put together. Issues like parking (voters in the lot outside the polling place and poll workers/campaign workers at a nearby town property), a better layout for voter check-in and voting booths, including separate entrances for voters with/without masks, more voting booths (half of those set up in September were closed off for ‘social distancing’, but we realized there was no need to do so because the booths themselves provided it), and making sure voters know that use of those gawdawful ‘safety folders’ are voluntary (just about everyone using them in the September election hated them and saw them as cumbersome and a waste of money and paper), and numerous other small changes to make voting easier, faster, safe, and secure.
There are still more plans and arrangements to finalize before November, but I think it will all come together for our town, at least.
Again, when you actually know your elected officials personally – far easier in a small town than in a big city because you can talk with the folks in charge.
I’m glad to see the accommodation for the maskless either for health reasons or for just political reasons (better put, really, Freedom) reasons.
