By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–With preparations for the August 6 election a major part of the agenda at Monday’s meeting, the Henry County Election Commission discussed its plan for COVID-19 safeguards at polling places and set times for the early voting period.
There will be COVID-19 safeguards aplenty for the upcoming election and Administrator DeLaina Green reviewed them with the board.
Green said all voters will receive voting kits as they enter polling places and inside those kits will be one disposable glove, one disposable pen and their ‘I Voted’ sticker. She said it will be strongly recommended that voters wear masks.
Social distancing will be followed, with areas roped off for voters and there will be directions for them to follow in the polling areas.
Green said all poll workers will be wearing full PPE and spaced apart. She said the state is allowing more poll workers to be hired and one person on hand at polling places will be dedicated to sanitizing the premises throughout the day.
As we get closer to election day, Green said voters will be reminded not to bring bags inside the polling place and to only have their IDs in hand. They also will be told that only the voter can enter and they should not bring children or others with them.
She said absentee voting will be strong this election. “We’ve had a steep increase in absentee voting requests,” she said. “We had 341 absentee votes for the November 2018 election and it’s only June 1 and we’ve already had 275 requests sent out.”
The board set the early voting period for July 17-August 1. Hours will be Monday-Wednesday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to noon.
In other business:
–The board approved a new temporary voting precinct at Buchanan Baptist Church to replace the Buchanan Masonic Lodge. Green said households in that precinct have been sent letters to advise them of the change.
–The board appointed machine technicians, nursing home deputies and early voting deputies for the election:
Machine Techs Robert Don Fodge (Republican) and Mark Duncan (Democrat).
Nursing Homes Bettye Paschall (Republican) and Debra McGuire (Democrat).
Early voting deputies Annettee Copeland, Debra McGuire, Sandra Smith, Bettye Paschall Callie Green, Hannah Boothe, Valorie Adams and Joyce Spinn.
Absentee Counting Board Jackie Dooley, Rita Gean, Verdien Helgeson and Deborah Moon.
–Write-in candidates were added to the ballot: Richard Edwards for Paris Special School District Board and Don Norwood for County Road Board District 2.
–The board locked and applied seals to office absentee ballot boxes, provisional ballot boxes and election day absentee tags.
Photo: Board members review new voter registrations with Administrator DeLaina Green at Monday evening’s meeting. From left, Sylvia Humphreys, Bennie Akers, Green and Stephen Goggans. (Shannon McFarlin photo).