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ARGENTINA | 10-09-2021 01:22

Voting in a pandemic – recommendations from the electoral authorities

Sunday's PASO primaries will be elections with a difference, marked by the Covid-19 pandemic and protocols.

This Sunday's PASO (Primarias, Abiertas, Simultáneas y Obligatorias) primaries choosing midterm candidates nationwide will be elections with a difference, marked by the Covid-19 pandemic and protocols to avoid contagion.

That context could make some people afraid to go out and vote, despite the recent decline in cases. The electoral authorities are aware of this, as is City judge María Servini de Cubría, who recently told IP Noticias that turnout “will depend on the enthusiasm to go out and vote” with “older people afraid of contagion.”

Ahead of that scenario, a protocol has been thought out taking the known protocols to extremes to ensure that compliance with the obligation to vote is safe.

 

Recommendations for going out to vote

  • Check the electoral rolls – in recent days there have been changes, altering the voting-precinct for many people in order to avoid overcrowding. Rechecking the government’s website www.padrón.gob.ar is recommended, noting down the number of the booth required and the order in the list in order to avoid delays. 

  • Check for symptoms of Covid – if symptoms of coronavirus like fever, headaches, loss of taste and sense of smell, among others, turn up, that person should not go and vote, according to the authorities. “Nobody with coronavirus should leave their homes nor their close contacts,” maintained judge Servini. 

  • Voting queues – instead of normal scenes in voting districts, this year voters will queue up on the sidewalk outside, maintaining social distancing and using face-masks. “There must be sufficient ventilation and there will be a health official to guarantee the protocols,” said Gustavo Masón, the deputy director of the Electoral Court.

  • Don’t hand over your DNI – Prior to voting, according to Masón, the Documento Nacional de Identidad should not be handed over to the electoral authorities. “It should be displayed or left on a plastic tray, only removing the face-mask when so requested by the president of the voting-booth to confirm identity,” said the official.

  • Voting and signing – once inside the voting-booth, you should introduce the ballot into the envelope, which, unlike previous elections, will not have glue. Voters should close it by inserting the outer flap into the envelope and may also bring their own glue or Scotch tape if they desire. On placing their vote in the ballot-box, voters should sign up with their own biros, according to recommendations.

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