Two readers contacted Saucon Source independently of each other Tuesday to report that poll workers assigned to work in District #3 in Lower Saucon Township weren’t wearing face masks, in spite of a county elections requirement that they wear them due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In August, Saucon Source interviewed Northampton County Deputy Director of Administration Becky Bartlett, for a question-and-answer story about the upcoming election and public safety protocols that would be in place.
“All poll workers are required to wear masks,” Bradley said. “We strongly request that voters also wear masks to respect the people volunteering for the election.”
State officials also strongly urged voters to wear masks at the polls Tuesday, but stopped short of making it a requirement, in spite of surging case numbers throughout the state.
Both voters who reached out to Saucon Source said they were surpised when they entered the polling station at Saucon Community Bible Fellowship Church, which is located inside a former one-room schoolhouse at 2190 Easton Road.
Two readers contacted Saucon Source independently of each other Tuesday to report that three male poll workers at the District #3 polling station on Easton Road in Lower Saucon Township weren’t wearing masks when they voted in the morning. In August, a county elections official said all poll workers were required to wear masks on Election Day. COVID-19 case numbers have surged significantly in Northampton County and throughout Pennsylvania since that time.
The three men who weren’t wearing masks weren’t “sanitizing or encouraging distancing,” one of the voters said.
“The precinct is a tiny one room schoolhouse and they were cramming people in there this morning,” she added. “When I said something about masks, I was told that masks were recommended but not required.”
“The ladies working at the desk were (wearing masks) but one man by the door greeting everyone wasn’t, nor was the one opening the curtain,” the other voter said. “There was another (man) there as well not wearing them.”
That voter added that the workers’ failure to mask up to help protect others from potentially contracting the highly-infectious disease was “quite disappointing, to say the least.”
Problems with voting in Northampton County may be reported to the elections office by calling 610-829-6260 or emailing el*******@no***************.org.
Individuals who you experience a problem voting or need information Tuesday can also call the state’s Election Day hotline at 1-877-868-3772 or file a complaint online at VotesPa.com.
