November 3rd General Election LETTER FROM THE MODERATOR
Posted on: October 27, 2020 - 9:45am
Deering Voters,
The New Hampshire State and Federal Elections will be conducted at the Deering Town Hall from 8:00 am until 7:00 pm on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Thank you to voters who have gone through the absentee ballot process and returned your ballot. If you have not returned it yet, absentee ballots sent to you by the Town Clerk can be returned to the Town Hall up to 5:00 pm on election day. According the Secretary of State, these ballots sent to you in advance cannot be accepted after 5:00 pm on election day. However, you can still vote by absentee ballot until 7:00 pm by filling out an absentee ballot in the Town Hall parking lot under the special provisions to allow absentee ballot voting on election day.
If you are a registered voter and wish to vote on election day and but you do not want to enter the polling place you can vote in the parking lot outside the Town Hall by using an absentee ballot. You will need to come to the accessible ramp and ask the election official stationed there for the absentee ballot. Then return to your vehicle, fill out the ballot package according to the instructions, bring it back to the door, and hand it to the election official. Your ballot will be brought into the polling place and processed with the other absentee ballots. We will be there to help you if you have questions about filling out the ballot and forms.
In the effort to keep voters and election workers safe during the Coronavirus pandemic, we are taking a number of precautions at the Town Hall for those of you who wish to cast your vote at the polls:
- Hand sanitizer will be provided. Based on recommendations from the State Epidemiologist we are requesting that voters use the hand sanitizer when they enter the building, when they leave the building, before and after handling the ballot, and before and after touching their face or face covering;
- Voters should stay six feet apart from other voters while entering and waiting (except in your family group) and six feet away from election workers. There will be markings and delineations on walking surfaces to follow;
- Each voter will be given their own pencil to fill out the ballot and take with after they complete the ballot;
- Each voter will be provided a mat to set their ballot on to fill out to take with them and dispose of after they complete that ballot;
- Surfaces will be disinfected on a regular basis throughout the day;
- The public restrooms will be closed so please plan accordingly;
- Recognizing that voting day is a great opportunity to catch up with other members of our community, we have to ask you not to linger in the Town Hall and to enter and leave as quickly as possible. If you wish to visit, we welcome you to do so outside the building; and
- We are requiring that you wear a face covering over your nose and mouth when you are in the Town Hall on election day. If you do not have one, we can provide you with one. If you do not want to wear a face covering, we request that you fill out an absentee ballot in the Town Hall parking lot as described above.
We are asking that you wear a face covering not only to reduce the risk of the spread of the virus in our community but out of respect for the election workers who have volunteered to serve their community on election day and are taking additional personal risk to do so. You may not wear a mask in public normally by we would be very grateful to you if you would please wear one on election day.
If you are unwilling or unable to wear a face covering, do not want to fill out an absentee ballot on site, and still wish to vote that day , you still have the right to vote. We ask that you check with the election officials at the entrance to the polls and they will assist you. However, you should be aware that the voting area is out of doors so please dress accordingly.
On behalf of Deering’s election workers who staffed the State Primary polls in September, thank you for helping to make it a safe and successful election. These are very challenging times. Even so, it is important that we take this opportunity to elect the leaders of our State and Nation and, working together, to do so safely.
We look forward to a successful election day.
Sincerely,
Philip Bryce
Deering Town Moderator
October 22, 2020