Voting resources for Election Day, Nov. 3

In a 2018 Pew Research Study, the U.S. placed 26th out of 32 developed nations in terms of voter participation rates.

Every two years, seven million Americans turn 18 and become eligible to vote.

The voter turnout for the 2016 U.S. presidential election was 61%. Ambitious goal is 80% for 2020!

COVID-19 complications:

• Social distancing reduces the capacity of existing polling places, and health concerns will make many buildings — including senior centers, nursing homes, and some schools — unavailable as voting sites.
• The need to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) and other services (e.g., masks, sanitizer, hand washing stations, etc.) to poll workers and voters will require a large number of additional volunteers at polling sites.
• Many poll workers who’ve served in previous elections will choose to opt out in 2020 due to heightened health risks associated with COVID exposure. Nearly half of the 1,000,000 poll workers in the 2016 election were over age 60, and a quarter were over 70.