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What Happens If A Voter Insists On Entering A Polling Place Without Wearing A Mask?

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — When Ohioans go to the polls to vote early in person, they are asked to wear a mask. If they don’t have one, polls will provide one. But what happens if the voter refuses that offer?

A poll worker disinfecting a voting machine.
[Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau]
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said masks will be available to voters who show up without masks. And some Ohio businesses have stepped up to make sure there are plenty of masks and sanitizer stations available at the polls.

If a voter refuses to wear a mask that’s provided,  they’ll be offered curbside service so they can vote in their cars.  But LaRose said voters are guaranteed the right to vote in the U.S. Constitution so he has to allow them into the polls if they insist.

“If someone insists on coming inside and voting, what we are going to do is make sure there is social distancing, that everybody keeps six feet away, that any surface that they touch is wiped down.”

The best thing for a voter who doesn’t want to or cannot wear a mask is to vote an absentee ballot, then mail it or put it in a drop box at their local board of elections. And they can order that ballot here: https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/absentee-voting/