Coronavirus prompts cleaner Manatee voting sites. Some precincts have moved, too
Supervisor of Elections Michael Bennett says his office is doing all it can to make sure that voting in the presidential preference primary on Tuesday will be as hygienic as possible.
A nationwide outbreak of the novel coronavirus has led to some changes at the voting booth. Poll workers will provide hand sanitizer at each polling location and have been ordered to wipe down all voting equipment as routinely as possible, Bennett said in an interview with the Bradenton Herald.
“We’ll be wiping down everything on a regular basis,” he said. “That’s about all you can do.”
The virus has also caused the elections office to start consolidating polling locations due to staff who are no longer available to work each site.
“Right now, we’re still combining polling places and dealing with the fact that some poll workers have dropped out,” said Bennett.
As of Monday morning, these precincts have been moved or combined:
- Precinct 107, Palmetto Point Civic Association is moving to Family of God United Methodist Church, 5601 16th Ave. E. , Palmetto.
- Precinct 411, Plantation Village West Rec Hall is moving to Sara Bay Baptist Church, 415 67th Ave. W., Bradenton.
- Precinct 403, South Manatee Library; Precinct 405, Trailer Estates Auditorium and Precinct 407, Midway Church of Christ are moving to Bayshore Gardens Rec. Center, 6919 26th. St. W., Bradenton.
- Precinct 125, Colony Cove - Harmony Hall and Precinct 211, Ellenton United Methodist Church are moving to the Bradenton Area Convention Center, 1 Haben Blvd., Palmetto.
Bennett said his staff aren’t expecting large crowds on Tuesday. According to an unofficial voter turnout count, about 48,000 Manatee County residents have voted early or by mail.
Primary election polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. For more information, visit VoteManatee.com or call (941) 741-3823.
