Voting and the virus: More mail-in ballots requested than ever

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  • The Kissimmee Civic Center is just one of the polling stations in Osceola County where residents can vote. NEWS-GAZETTE PHOTO/BRIAN MCBRIDE
    The Kissimmee Civic Center is just one of the polling stations in Osceola County where residents can vote. NEWS-GAZETTE PHOTO/BRIAN MCBRIDE
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More than a third of the 70,000 mail-in ballots sent out to Osceola County voters had been returned by Tuesday, according to the local elections office.

“More people have requested mail-in ballots this year by far,” said Supervisor of Elections Mary Jane Arrington.

During the last election in 2018, the office got 27,000 requests for mail-in ballots.

“That tells me voters are concerned about health issues,” she said.

Still, the county’s eight early voting sites are busy. Campaign signs are up and campaigners are waiving every chance they get as cars drive by.

Inside, all poll workers wear masks and plastic face shields. Stickers on the floor indicate recommend physical distancing standards among strangers, and hand sanitizer pumps are everywhere.

Ballots are being placed in sheets of paper, which are thrown away after every use. The ballots were once distributed to voters in manilla folders. And styluses are being replaced by cotton swabs.

“We’ve gotten creative,” Arrington said.

There are also masks on-hand for voters if needed.

However, Arrington said: “I can’t make you wear a mask. We’re definitely encouraging voters to wear masks. However, if it comes down to someone not voting because they don’t have a mask, I want them to vote.”

While some Florida counties have run low on poll workers during the pandemic, that’s not the case in Osceola, Arrington said.

Many other county elections offices rely on retirees and seniors, some of whom can be particularly susceptible to COVID-19.

The average age among poll workers in Osceola is 56, which Arrington said represents a good mix of younger and older people.

“I think we’re going to be OK. We feel we have enough alternatives in case people can’t make it,” she said. “We really care about our poll workers, without them this wouldn’t be possible.”

The “Adopt a Precinct” program at the Supervisor’s Office also provides a steady supply of poll workers, she said. It allows organizations to receive money for providing poll workers. Otherwise, a poll worker in Osceola County earns between $150 and $300 each day they work.

“Every day is like election day with the early voting,” she said.

Eight early voting sites opened Aug. 3, and will close Aug. 16. The primary election is Aug. 18.

Those with mail-in ballots don’t have to post them. They can also drop them off at the open polling locations or at the dropbox at the Supervisor of Elections office.

The primary election whittles down multiple candidates in the same parties to one. But there are some nonpartisan races including those for the Kissimmee City Commission and for judgeships that will be decided in the primary election.

Questions?

Call the Osceola County Supervisor of Elections at 407-742-6000 or at voteosceola.com, which is a good source for information about polling stations, your voting status and returns on Election Night.