Gibson Co. officials discuss safety measures for upcoming election

GIBSON COUNTY, Tenn. — If you’re in Gibson County and you’re heading to the polls tomorrow, be prepared to take a little longer than normal when casting your ballot.

“Each of our 28 polling locations has plexiglass barriers that will be at the registration table,” said Julieanne Hart, the Administrator of Elections for Gibson County. “We’re going to ask the voters to wear a glove to sign the registration book, and also while voting, so that voters are not touching the same items throughout the day.”

In addition, there will be regular cleanings throughout the day, and materials will be available to voters and workers.

“We are encouraging voters to wear a mask, and if they do not have one, we have masks for the voters,” Hart said.

Finally, there will be social distancing in place, which voters will need to follow.

In the early voting period, more than 2,400 people in Gibson County submitted their ballots in-person. They also had an increased number of votes by mail.

“I would say the ballots by mail are about four times what we would normally have for this particular election,” Hart said.

Gibson County now has 615 total confirmed positive cases of coronavirus.

Hart reminds people to please be considerate of your fellow residents when going to vote.

“If you’re not feeling well or you’ve been around someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, you are not supposed to go to the polling locations tomorrow,” Hart said.

Polls in Gibson County are open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.