COLUMBUS, Ind. — Bartholomew County election officials are expecting to receive thousands of masks, disposable gloves and a combined total of around 100 gallons of hand sanitizer and surface disinfectant, among other items, to protect poll workers, election staff and voters during the Nov. 3 election.
Bartholomew County Clerk Jay Phelps was notified last week by the Indiana Secretary of State’s Office that the Indiana National Guard will deliver personal protective equipment to the Bartholomew County Courthouse on Sept. 25 — about a week and a half before early in-person voting begins on Oct. 6.
The shipment is expected to include 12,700 masks for voters, 350 N-95 masks for poll workers, 26,900 disposable gloves for voters, 3,500 disposable gloves for poll workers, 24 half-gallon pump dispenser bottles of hand sanitizer, 70 gallons of hand sanitizer, 24 gallons of surface disinfectant, 72 8-ounce spray bottles with disinfectant and 1,050 microfiber towels and 40 rolls of blue masking tape to attach social distancing markers and PPE posters, according to an estimated shipment inventory provided to Phelps earlier this week.
Additionally, local election officials still have more than 20,000 wooden queue tips left over from the primary for voters to use to make their selections on the county’s electronic voting machines, Phelps said.
For more on this story, see Sunday’s Republic.
