GLENBURN, Maine — A community in Penobscot County has many of its citizens concerned about moving the election location to the school.
The town of Glenburn normally holds its elections at the town office but this year, the general election will be held at the Glenburn School.
Superintendent Richard Modery said the town office is relatively old and the town realized this summer that it couldn’t hold an election there and meet the physical distancing requirements.
Residents said there are several issues with having it at the school including the kid's physical safety because this has been such a volatile campaign season and another reason Kristine Wiley of Glenburn said is the kid's health.
“They’re going to be in school with voting in the school cafeteria where their food is being prepared for their lunches. How are they going to get that clean enough for them to be able to eat back in the cafeteria again,” Wiley said. “And how are they going to keep our children safe from what people might bring in?”
Glenburn Superintendent, Richard Modery said, “The main portion of the school will be locked down. No students will access the spaces that voters will be accessing. Voters will enter the lobby they will turn immediately into the cafeteria, the polling location will be the cafeteria in the school and there’s a side exit in the cafeteria in which voters will exit and return to their vehicles.”
Modery also said there will be additional sanitizing procedures in place to clean the school's lobby and cafeteria after the polls close.
He said they will also be offering remote learning to families who don’t want to send their kids to school that day.
