MADISON, Wis. — This election, many of the polling locations in Madison are places people have never voted in before. Large venues have stepped up, offering their spaces so voters and poll workers will be able to social distance.
“Finding polling locations for a pandemic election is one of the greatest challenges we’ve had this year,” said Madison’s clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl. “It’s harder to convince facilities to open their doors and let anybody come in during the pandemic, and then on top of that we need to make sure that we have space for social distancing. And have that space available in nearly every neighborhood in the city.”
There will be 92 polling locations opening Tuesday morning. Witzel-Behl said that’s four more than the city had during the 2016 election, but that isn’t a result of the pandemic. She said those additional sites were added because more people are moving to Madison and the goal is to have people wait less than 15 minutes to vote.
The pandemic has pushed the city to find larger venues.
The Orpheum Theatre, Chazen Museum, and UW Madison’s new Nicholas Recreation Center — known as the Nick — will all be hosting polling sites for the first time.
Witzel-Behl said the Nick will hold three sites and Steamfitters Local 601 on the east side will also host multiple wards. Even a strip mall on Odana Road is opening up its vacant space for voters.
The Madison Metropolitan School District will have the most polling sites open, and has opened up school gyms to be used.
“The school district has allowed us to use gymnasiums at every site where there will be a polling place. And they have opened up additional schools for us to use as polling places tomorrow,” said Witzel-Behl.
With more poll workers than ever before, record absentee ballots that need to be counted and a large in-person turnout expected, the space will be needed.
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