What You Need to Know Before Heading to the Polls Today

The Election that was delayed by the pandemic is finally here, but voters will want to keep a few things in mind as they head to the polls.

COVID-19 has changed the way most things work, in everyday life. Many are working from home, attending school from home, and giving each other space whenever they have to be in public. The pandemic is affecting everything, including the way we vote. Many Mainers have opted to vote by absentee ballot, but there will still be plenty of folks heading to the polling places today. If you're one of them, here are a few things to remember to make it as stress-free as possible:

Polling Places May Have Moved - Check with your town to find out where to vote today. Especially in smaller communities, where social distancing isn't possible in the usual location, some polls have been moved to large venues.

Hours May Vary - To accommodate the extra cleaning and sanitizing that's required, some communities are opening their polls a little later than usual.

Have Some Hand Sanitizer With You - Most polling places will have hand sanitizer available to voters, but it's a good idea to keep some wipes or sanitizer with you, or in your vehicle, to disinfect after voting.

Wear Your Face Covering - Polling officials are requesting that voters wear their face masks during the voting process, to keep others safe.

Practice Social Distancing - We all know the drill by now. Stand at least 6 feet away from others, to avoid spreading the virus. Just because you 'feel fine,' you could still be contagious. Plus, you don't know whether that person in front of you might be sick.

Allow Extra Time to Vote - Polling staffers will be sanitizing throughout the day, so casting your vote will probably take a little longer than usual.

There are two bond questions on the ballot. Here's the exact wording for each, per the Secretary of State's office:

Question 1: Bond Issue

"Do you favor a $15,000,000 bond issue to invest in high-speed internet infrastructure for unserved and underserved areas, to be used to match up to $30,000,000 in federal, private, local, or other funds?"

Question 2: Bond Issue

"Do you favor a $105,000,000 bond issue for improvement of highways and bridges statewide and for multimodal facilities or equipment related to transit, freight and passenger railroads, aviation, ports, harbors, marine transportation and active transportation projects, to be used to match an estimated $275,000,000 in federal other funds?"