CLEVELAND — Tuesday is Election Day, but in the midst of a pandemic, voting could prove more difficult this year for those who have contracted COVID-19. Even if you have tested positive for the virus and are required to quarantine, you can still exercise your right to vote.
Voters with COVID-19, or any other medical conditions that would prevent them from voting in person at their polling place, can vote curbside, according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
In order to utilize the curbside voting, voters can either bring someone with them to help them vote or they can ask for assistance from precinct officials.
Anyone can assist with voting, aside from
- Your employer
- An agent of your employer
- An agent of your union
- Any candidate whose name appears on the ballot in your precinct
Voters without someone to go into the polling location and help with their vote need to call their local board of elections and let them know so they can make sure the Voting Location Manager at the voter’s polling place knows a voter in need of curbside voting is on the way.
Once at their polling place, voters will need to inform their precinct election official that they need to vote curbside.
In addition, voters with disabilities can also get help in marking their ballot.
Precinct election officials from two different political parties will assist curbside voters. By law, the precinct election officials cannot tell voters how to mark their ballots nor disclose information to others on a voter’s selections.
The Summit County Board of Elections suggests that voters who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are quarantining immediately request an absentee ballot from their county board of elections using a Secretary of State Form 11-B, found here.
Absentee ballot applications must be received by the voter's county board of elections by 3 p.m. on Election Day. The ballot can be dropped off at the board of elections no later than the close of the polls at 7:30 pm. on Election Day, Summit County BOE said.
If you live outside Cuyahoga or Summit counties, you should check with your county's board of elections for their instructions on how to safely vote.
To learn more about voting in Ohio, click here.
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