COVID-19 has changed the landscape of this year’s elections. Safety concerns have been the topic of discussion for the local and state board of elections. Bladen County Board of Elections submitted a survey to the North Carolina State Board of Elections on their estimated need for Personal Protective Equipment.
According to Todd W. Brown, Deputy Operations Section Chief with the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management, each NC county’s survey was submitted and then rolled into a working estimate for quantities needed with delivery options.
Bladen County has 22,177 total registered voters, according to a report distributed by Christopher L. Williams, Bladen County Board of Elections Director. The office has an estimated in-person turn out for Bladen County of 70% totaling 15,524 voters and will offer six one-stop voting locations.
Therefore, the office is scheduled to receive an estimated 17,100 masks, 2,500 gloves of each size: small, medium, large, and extra-large. There will be 2,000 face shields, 312 disinfecting spray cans, 312 paper towels, and 120 tubs of disinfecting wipes delivered to the Bladen County Board of Elections to use for Personal Protective Equipment.
Brown stated, “We expect deliveries to made the week of September 7-11 with a no later than date of September 15.”
He added, “Due to shortages in disinfecting wipes and alcohol prep pads, the sourcing team is working on substitutes in the form of paper towel tubs with jugs of disinfectant or cans of disinfectant spray and paper towels as recommended by the NC Division of Public Health.”
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