Will Maskless Voters Be Turned Away on Election Day? | The Weather Channel
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The wearing of face masks is one of the most partisan issues of the coronavirus pandemic.

ByJan Wesner ChildsNovember 2, 2020

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An election worker wears a mask inside City Hall on the first day of in-person early voting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Oct. 20, 2020.

(KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

The wearing of masks and other face coverings during the coronavirus pandemic is one of the most partisan issues in this year's Presidential Election.

As of Friday, 33 states required people to wear face coverings in public, according to a tally being kept by NBC News. In the rest, it's largely up to local city and county governments, as well as local private businesses, to set face mask policy. Enforcement of those rules, even in states that have a mandate, also varies widely.

So what happens if a voter on Election Day refuses to wear a mask to the polls when it's required by law in their community?

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That, too, depends. Texas, for example, has exempted polling places from its statewide mask mandate. Election officials in some Florida counties that have their own mask policies said voters not wearing one wouldn't be turned away, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.

(MORE: Weather-Related Power Outages Could Complicate Voting)

And California has put specific guidelines in place on how to deal with voters who eschew mask rules.

“The right to vote is of utmost importance,” the guidelines say, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Even voters neglectful of important health and safety precautions must be allowed to vote if they enter a voting location.”

The guidelines say confrontation should be avoided and those without a mask allowed to vote, ideally in a spot that allows for maximum social distancing. In Los Angeles County, that means maskless voters will be handed their ballots outside. In other areas, they'll be shown to a booth that has extra space around it. And in at least two counties, face shields will be provided to anyone voting near someone not wearing a mask.

Sheriff's deputies in Harford County, Maryland, arrested a man during early voting who objected to using a special area set aside for maskless voters.

"While the polls are open to the public, they are subject to compliance with the rules and regulations set forth by the Board of Elections and the Governor of Maryland," the sheriff's office said in a Facebook post.

Randolph Braccialarghe, a law professor at Nova Southeastern University, told the Sun-Sentinel it's especially important for officials to avoid controversy in this year's acrimonious political climate.

“The last thing any supervisor of elections would want would be to be accused that they turned away voters,” Braccialarghe, said.

Annabelle de St. Maurice, a prevention officer at UCLA Health, told the Times the act of casting a ballot doesn't come with a lot of danger.

“The highest risk will be waiting in line because you’ll potentially be clustered around people for a long time,” de St. Maurice said. “The average time someone spends at a voting booth is pretty short, so that would be a brief interaction and should be low risk.”

The CDC on Thursday issued updated guidance for polling places and voters. It advises elections officials and poll workers to "recommend and reinforce the use of masks among all workers."

"Masks are most essential in times when physical distancing is difficult. Information should be provided to workers on proper use, removal, and washing of masks," the guidance adds. "Encourage voters to use masks while in the polling location."

In some states, face mask rules at the polls are being challenged in court.

The coronavirus pandemic has already disrupted voting in other ways. An early voting site in Brevard County, Florida, had to shut down Friday after election workers tested positive, Florida Today reported. In Iowa, far fewer polling places will be open on Election Day this year, according to NPR.

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