To keep yourself and those around you safer, we’ve pulled together some tips on planning to vote in person or by absentee ballot.

Story by: Norton Healthcare on October 23, 2020

Voting has never been like this before. To keep yourself and those around you safer, we’ve pulled together some tips for making social distancing and masking easier when you vote.

Make a plan

In-person early voting is being offered in Kentucky and Southern Indiana ahead of Election Day. By spreading out the time to vote and locating polls at large or centralized sites, or multiple locations, election officials have provided ways for voters to avoid long lines or crowds on Nov. 3.

While there have been reports of crowds at some times for early in-person voting, the process of checking in, filling out your ballot and returning outside typically takes just a few minutes. Kentucky has set up early voting locations that take advantage of large open spaces to make social distancing easier. You may be surprised to see more poll workers than voters on occasion.

In Louisville, early voting and absentee ballot drop-off is available at the following locations:

Kentucky Exposition Center
937 Phillips Lane
Fairgrounds North Wing
Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Nov. 2
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Free parking. Enter through Gates 1, 2 or 4

KFC Yum! Center
Main and Second streets, Foyer
Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Nov. 2
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Free parking

Kentucky Center for African American Heritage
1701 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd.
Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Nov. 2
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Free parking

Louisville Marriott East
1903 Embassy Square Blvd., Commonwealth Ballroom
Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Nov. 2
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Free parking

Additional locations in Jefferson County will be available from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Election Day regardless of your precinct.

Absentee ballots can also be dropped off at the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office Election Center through Nov. 2 at 701 W. Ormsby Ave.

Planning your trip

Weekends are shaping up to be busier than weekdays, and there have been reports of lines to get into polling places when they open in the morning. During the primaries, there was a rush of last-minute voters, so don’t put it off until Nov. 3.

Plan to vote well before Election Day and at off-peak times such as midmorning. If you drive by and there’s a crowd that makes you uncomfortable, consider coming back later.

Take your time to find a parking spot that allows you to get in and out of the polling place while avoiding close contact with others.

If you’ve requested an absentee ballot, you can either mail it or drop it off at one of the polling places. If you have an absentee ballot, you have to use it — you can’t change your mind and vote in person, so don’t risk exposure to others by trying. If you don’t receive a ballot by Oct. 28, you may be eligible to vote in person.

Before showing up to vote, verify your voter registration information is up to date in Indiana or Kentucky.

Contact your local election officials for additional information for voters with disabilities. If you need help voting in Jefferson County, you can request assistance from someone of your choice, or two election officers, at the polls. You cannot be assisted by your employer or an agent of your labor union.

Make sure you have all necessary documents to avoid delays at the polling location. In Kentucky, numerous forms of identification are accepted including a driver’s license, credit card and personal acquaintance of an election officer. Indiana requires a valid photo ID.

Review a sample ballot at home to speed the process of casting your ballot at the polling location.

Safer voting

If you vote in person, of course you have to wear a mask, with few exceptions.

Here are some tips to prevent your eyeglasses from fogging up while you vote with your mask on:

• Wash your glasses in soapy water and allow to air dry or lightly dry with a soft cloth. The trick is to leave a thin and invisible layer of soap on your glasses. That way, when your warm, moist breath hits your cooler eyeglass lenses, the moisture won’t bead up into tiny droplets that fog your vision.
• Seal the top of your mask. A piece of double-sided tape across the bridge of your nose before you put on your mask will help direct your breath away from your lenses.
• Direct your exhale downward. Position your upper lip over your lower lip — as if you were playing a flute — to steer exhaled air away from your glasses.

Other tips:

• Wash your hands before entering the polling location and after leaving.
• While at the polls, use hand sanitizer frequently, especially after touching door handles or voting machines.
• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or the inside of your elbow. Throw used tissues in lined trash cans.
• Maintain at least 6 feet (about two arms’ length) from others even while masked.