Across the United States, masks are highly recommended, but not required, for in person voting. According to state election guidelines, California voters who show up at the polls on or before Election Day without masks will be permitted to vote. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has had a mask mandate in place for California since June. The mask mandate states that it is required for individuals to wear a mask in public places. Election officials are facing a delicate balance of how to both enforce mask mandates and not infringe on a constituent’s constitutional right to vote. 

Deva Marie Proto, Sonoma County’s Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters said, “We are asking [voters] to wear a mask for inside polling. We will be providing options outside for those people who don’t want to wear a mask or can’t because of medical reasons.” 

There will be extra masks available for people who may have forgotten a mask, but desire to wear one. If one can’t or won’t wear a mask, workers will accommodate them by setting up areas outside for those individuals to vote.

Proto expressed anxiety about how in person voting will go and hopes that the recent changes to the voting process will allow voters to have the appropriate options. Her intention is to provide a smooth experience for all voters. 

In Sonoma County, there was a reduction from 150 address-based polling locations to 30 locations open for people from any address in the county to vote. In the past, voters were assigned to a specific location and that polling site had a paper roster with your name on it. With new changes due to COVID-19, the county will be using a computer to look up your information and print your ballot. Proto’s goal was to make the process of voting during a pandemic as accessible as possible. 

Michael Humphry, a SRJC pre-nursing student, voted for the first time this election and expressed relief at how simple the process was. “I voted in Cotati and it was super easy. I wore my mask and dropped off my ballot. I was expecting it to be harder, but for my first time, it was smooth and drama-free,” he said. 

Margaret Raney, a nursing student at Pacific Union College, said she will not be wearing a mask unless it is required of her. She said, “I’ll be voting in person, only wearing a mask if it’s required. I’m not concerned about getting anyone else sick because I know I am 100% healthy.

Across California, other County Registrar of Voters are preparing for pandemic related changes. In San Diego County, Registrar of Voters Michael Vu said he is attempting to balance people’s right to vote and the ongoing pandemic.

“This is an area where we are not going to infringe or abridge anyone’s constitutional right of being able to vote. So we want to make sure we are balancing that out with the fact [that] there is a pandemic, to ensure individuals have the ability to vote. However, we need to make sure that we are isolating them in an area that is socially distant, but also a place that is well ventilated,” said Vu.

Similar to Sonoma County, unmasked voters in San Diego county will be allowed to vote outside, away from the crowds. 

Ohio Secretary of State, Frank LaRose, feels strongly about people in his state that show up to vote without a mask. He said, “We are not the enforcement authorities for the mask mandate. Our elections officials are not there to enforce mask mandates. It’s not our job. But it’s rude for people to show up and refuse all the opportunities we give them.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends voters wear masks at the polls, but does not say they should be required. Some of their other recommendations include: longer voting periods (more days and/or more hours), a wide variety of voting options, and feasible ways to reduce the number of voters congregating in one location at the same time. 

According to John Hopkins University, on Friday, the United States recorded more than 83,000 new cases of COVID-19. This is a record high for daily coronavirus cases since the pandemic began in the US. In an article from NPR they report that this number surpassed the previous record of more than 77,000 cases in mid-July.

With a historical election on the horizon, large crowds gathering at polling locations may add an increase in COVID-19 cases–if people are not careful. 

Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and lead member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, likened the risk of voting in person to going to the grocery store. He said, “If you go and wear a mask, if you observe the physical distancing, and don’t have a crowded situation, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to [vote in person].”