Buffalo, NY (WBEN) As the calendar flips to September and election season draws near, there are concerns with long lines at polling places and having enough polling locations in general. In Erie County, the long lines have rarely been an issue and elections officials also note there are more people applying to become polling place inspectors.
"There's a concern with the COVID pandemic that's still prevalent across the country that some of the elderly inspectors may not be willing to serve. We're doing our best to recruit new inspectors, we welcome new inspectors," says Republican Erie County Elections Commissioner Ralph Mohr. "We've had training courses throughout the year, and if we have an interest, we'll run more."
Tuesday is National Polling Inspectors Recruitment Day, and Democratic Elections Commissioner Jeremy Zellner says it should be less of an issue than anticipated. "We're seeing a record number of applicants to be a first time inspector, so I'm very happy with that," says Zellner.
Lines are rarely an issue, say Mohr and Zellner. "We've been very fortunate to have a large number of polling locations and 37 early voting sites, and we've been fortunate to not have long lines and long waits," says Mohr. "That's a tribute to the planning we do ahead of time, plus the workers who serve as inspectors do a good job of moving the voters through and getting them their ballots," "Folks should feel comfortable casting their ballots either during the nine days of early voting or on Election Day," says Zellner, who reminds voters to bring their own pens, wear masks, and practice social distancing.
Mohr says another reason is a fast pass card that goes out to voters before the election. "The card will have a bar code, which if you bring it to the polls on election day for early voting, instead of entering your name, you'd be able to scan the code, and you'll print your ballot right from that," explains Mohr.