{"id":3767,"date":"2020-09-04T17:00:08","date_gmt":"2020-09-04T17:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=3767"},"modified":"2023-03-27T15:52:13","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:52:13","slug":"what-the-state-elections-chair-worries-about-in-the-middle-of-the-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/09\/04\/what-the-state-elections-chair-worries-about-in-the-middle-of-the-night\/","title":{"rendered":"What the state elections chair worries about in the middle of the night"},"content":{"rendered":"
Overseeing a statewide election in a pandemic gives Damon Circosta plenty of things to fret about. But when the chair of the North Carolina Board of Elections lies awake at night, his biggest worry is the poll workers.<\/span><\/p>\n The state needs to accommodate over 7 million registered voters so they can cast their ballots for president, U.S. Congress, governor, and other statewide offices on Nov. 3. That takes about 25,000 workers. But finding them may be difficult this year, since <\/span>poll workers are typically senior citizens<\/span><\/a> who now face the risk of severe illness from COVID-19.<\/span><\/p>\n The state needs more poll workers than usual, too. In addition to their normal tasks of greeting voters and handing out ballots, they will be expected to enforce social distancing, wipe down ballot stands, and distribute masks and hand sanitizer.<\/span><\/p>\n