Quarantined residents can still cast votes on Tuesday
COVID-19 remains a threat, even through Election Day, and some voters may be stuck in quarantine when it's time to go to the polls.
“Every Pennsylvanian who is registered to vote will have the opportunity to do so,” said Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar in a news release Monday.
Boockvar said Pennsylvanians who are under quarantine through tomorrow should contact their county elections office to make special arrangements to vote.
There is an emergency ballot provision in the Pennsylvania Election Code that allows for a person to assign a designee to deliver balloting materials.
“And if you can't find a designee, the law actually requires the county election office to have a sheriff's deputy or some county official to deliver the balloting materials for the voter,” Boockvar said.
In a news conference Monday, Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said her department has not dissuaded anyone from their right to vote.
Reporters asked if there was any information included in the Department of Health's notifications to quarantine. Levine said the notices are generic, and they do not include any information about voting or not being able to vote.
“If someone is in quarantine, there are ways we have for that person to vote,” Levine said.
Levine also assured Pennsylvanians that the polls would be safe and accessible to everyone else.
“If you are voting in person, it is safe to vote,” Levine said.
Levine warned that safety relies on people acting responsibly, especially in following social distancing guidelines. She said she also recommended bringing a COVID-19 kit, which would include a mask, hand sanitizer and having the COVID Alert phone application downloaded.
Levine also recommended not waiting until the last minute to visit a polling place to avoid heavy traffic at one time.
“Go early, and vote,” she said.
