Wear a mask, stay six feet away from other voters, and use hand sanitizer frequently... Those are just a few words of advice that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued to voters on Election Day 2020.
And in addition to the aforementioned common sense tips, the CDC also advises voters to bring their own black ballpoint pens so they don't have to risk infection by using a contaminated one.
Voters should also have all necessary materials ready to go to reduce the time they spend in polling places, the CDC suggests. If a polling place is too crowded, turn around and try again at a non-peak time -- such as mid-morning, per the CDC.
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And once you're at your official polling place to vote, you may notice a few additional officials monitoring the process... Because on Monday, the Department of Justice unveiled plans to send officials to polling places in 44 jurisdictions.
The officials will keep watch over the jurisdictions, which are located in 18 states, to make sure polling places are in compliance with voting laws, according to DOJ Assistant Attorney General Eric S. Dreiband.
"Our federal laws protect the right of all American citizens to vote without suffering discrimination, intimidation and harassment," he says. "The work of the Civil Rights Division around each federal general election is a continuation of its historical mission to ensure that all of our citizens can freely exercise this most fundamental American right."
However, this is not the first time the DOJ has monitored polling places on Election Day... In 2016, the department sent officials to 67 jurisdictions in 28 states, records reveal.
Check out more details on USA Today.