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A26 u.s. news
Dialuna 7 September 2020

Voting in person Nov. 3? Expect drive-thrus, sports arenas

By SOPHIA EPPOLITO will provide a safe alterna-
Associated Press/Report tive, said Charles Stewart, a
for America political science professor at
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) the Massachusetts Institute
— Voting will look a little dif- of Technology. In Los Ange-
ferent this November. States les, Dodger Stadium will be
are turning to stadiums, used as a vote center as part
drive-thrus and possibly even of a joint effort with More
movie theaters as safe options Than A Vote, a voting rights
for in-person polling places organization launched by
amid the coronavirus pan- LeBron James that’s dedi-
demic and fears about mail- cated to maximizing Black
in ballots failing to arrive in turnout in November. Many
time to count. Black voters — one of the
The primary season brought Democratic Party’s most im-
voters to an outdoor wed- portant voting groups — are
ding-style tent in Vermont wary of voting by mail amid
and the state fairgrounds in historical skepticism of a sys-
Kentucky. The general elec- tem that tried to keep Black
tion on Nov. 3 is expected to people from the polls and
include voting at NBA arenas worries that a mailed ballot
around the country, part of won’t get counted.
an agreement owners made Several teams, including the
with players to combat racial Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit
injustice. Large venues and Pistons and Atlanta Hawks,
outdoor spaces allow for so- had already committed their
cial distancing that helps pre- arenas to be voting sites prior
vent the spread of the virus, to the NBA’s announcement
though there are questions In this Aug. 11, 2020, file photo, a voter casts a ballot at a drive-thru voting station in the Barre last week. Madison Square
about keeping people warm Civic Center in Vermont's statewide primary in Barre, Vt. Garden also will be among
as the weather gets cold and Associated Press the sports stadiums used.
the possibility that fewer tra- The idea to use large spaces
ditional neighborhood poll- mail, and mail-in voting is in November. offering alternative voting for in-person voting started
ing places could lower voter well established in others. One suburban Salt Lake City methods. in Kentucky, where Lou-
turnout. In June, Utah broke voter county ran a primary poll- “The more options for vot- isville’s only option in the
Election Day is expected to turnout records despite not ing place where voters drove ing in terms of mechanisms June primary was an exposi-
bring a surge in mail-in vot- opening traditional polling through an indoor conven- or ways that people can ex- tion center at the state fair-
ing, but some people may places because of the virus. tion center to pick up their ercise their franchise I think grounds. Organizers care-
feel more comfortable cast- In-person voting will be back ballots, completed them in is helpful,” said Berbert, who fully laid out chalk markings
ing their ballots in person in November, but rather than their cars and then dropped lives in Layton, Utah, and where voters could safely
amid concerns about recent only using schools, churches them off in an outdoor park- works at a management con- stand in line, though there
mail delays following a series and public buildings like ing area. Davis County Clerk sulting firm. were complications as voters
of operational changes at the usual, clerks also are permit- Curtis Koch said the system Less than 1% of Utah vot- struggled to find parking at
U.S. Postal Service and Pres- ted to set up drive-thru or will be in place for the gen- ers chose in-person options the end of the day.
ident Donald Trump stoking outdoor polling places. eral election, too. in June, according to elec- In Vermont, the tiny town
unfounded claims of voter The family that owns the Chad Berbert, a 46-year-old tion officials. But in states of Lincoln voted during an
fraud. NBA’s Utah Jazz also has a Republican, said he’ll prob- where voters are less famil- August primary in a wed-
Several states conduct their chain of movie theaters and ably vote by mail in the fall, iar with mail-in voting, un- ding-style tent, clerk Sally
elections almost entirely by offered three as voting sites but he’s glad officials are orthodox in-person options Ober said. Being outdoors
in the summer gave Ober
El Chapo’s lawyers appeal his US drug conspiracy conviction some unexpected brushes
with nature. As she was set-
ting up, she picked up a baby
NEW YORK (AP) — The status by escaping from pris- robin from the street and
notorious Mexican drug lord on twice in Mexico, the sec- rescued a speckled fawn that
Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman ond time through a tunnel got stuck on a fence. A toad
wants his U.S. conspiracy dug into the shower of his also hopped through the tent
conviction thrown out. cell. during voting.
An appeal filed Friday ar- He was recaptured and sent “It was very funny and cute
gues that a judge made rul- in 2017 to the United States and sweet that wildlife was
ings allowing a jury to hear and put in solitary confine- involved with our voting
faulty evidence at his trial. ment. day,” Ober said.
It also cites reports that be- At trial, Guzman's lawyers The primary set turnout re-
fore reaching a guilty verdict, argued he was the fall guy cords, largely driven by mail-
some jurors sought out news for other kingpins who were in voting. All active Vermont
accounts about sex abuse al- better at paying off top Mexi- voters will get a mail-in ballot
legations against him that can politicians and law en- for the November election,
were barred from the trial. forcement officials to protect and lawmakers also have al-
Prosecutors declined to com- them. lowed for outdoor and drive-
ment Saturday. "Chapo Guzman's prosecu- thru voting systems.
Guzman was sentenced last tion was marred by rampant In Lincoln, Ober is again
year to life behind bars in for excess and overreach, both preparing for people who
In this Jan. 19, 2017 file photo provided U.S. law enforcement, a massive drug conspiracy governmental and judicial want to vote in person. But
authorities escort Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" that spread murder and may- – needless resorts if he was in a state where below-freez-
Guzman, center, from a plane in Ronkonkoma, N.Y. On Friday, hem for more than two de- really the kingpin extraordi- ing temperatures are nor-
Sept. 4, 2020, Guzman's attorneys filed an appeal to his U.S. cades. naire his adversaries insisted," mal for November, the tent
conspiracy conviction. Before the federal case, he the appeal says.q likely won’t make another
Associated Press had attained near-mythical appearance.q