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Fayette Election Bureau looking for additional protective supplies

By Mark Hofmann mhofmann@heraldstandard.Com 3 min read
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Submitted photo

An employee with the Fayette County Election Bureau performs office duties while masked as the bureau is asking for masks, hand sanitizer and wipes for poll workers for the upcoming primary election on June 2.

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Submitted photo

An employee with the Fayette County Election Bureau performs office duties while masked as the bureau is asking for masks, hand sanitizer and wipes for poll workers for the upcoming primary election on June 2.

The Fayette County Election Bureau is asking for the public to help protect poll workers and voters during the June 2 primary election.

Larry Blosser, bureau director, said they’ve processed over 9,000 mail-in ballots for the upcoming primary, but he knows there will be people who want to physically go to polls to vote.

“It’s going to be a trying time for voters,” Blosser said, asking the public to be considerate and patient when going to vote during this time of social distancing and other protective regulations.

For example, Blosser said, there will be signage at the doors of polling places to remind people to stand six feet apart. Additionally, those who do come to vote in person are encouraged to wear masks and gloves, and should expect long lines because of social distancing.

Blosser is also seeking the community’s support to help poll workers.

“I’ve seen where people are making masks and donating them to health care workers and nursing homes,” Blosser said. “I just wondered whether people might be willing to donate masks and supplies for our poll workers.”

While the Department of State’s Bureau of Elections and Notaries is providing every county with COVID-19 safety kits including masks, wipes, gloves and hand sanitizer to cover 65% of their voting precincts, more will be needed.

Fayette County has 77 polling places, each with up to 15 workers. Blosser said they’ll need an additional 37 kits to cover all the precincts, and the larger precincts will need more supplies than are included in the kits.

Poll workers will be required to regularly sanitize all pens, touchscreens, scanners, buttons, tables, privacy screens, door handles and other items or surfaces voters and workers touch. The workers will need to change their masks and gloves multiple times throughout the day to adhere to the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Donations would be a tremendous help and allow them to replace their masks more frequently,” Blosser said. “Sanitizing wipes would be greatly appreciated, as well.”

He added that flyers were sent out to the judge of elections in the county’s polling places to see if there would be any issues with staffing poll workers.

Blosser said three polling places reported there will be issues and 12 said there could be issues pending on any further state mandates.

Anyone wanting to work at the polls can do so by getting in touch with the Fayette County Election Bureau at 724-430-1289; applicants must be a registered voter in Fayette County and they must be willing to travel to a different part of the county if needed.

Anyone wishing to donate supplies should email lblosser@fayettepa.org or bguthrie@fayettepa.org to arrange a drop-off time.

Supplies can also be mailed to the Fayette County Election Bureau at 22 East Main St., Uniontown, Pa. 15401.

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