WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link held a news conference Friday morning to discuss early voting.
Early voting begins Monday at 18 locations throughout Palm Beach County.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day through the last day of early voting Nov. 1.
Anyone who is eligible to vote in Palm Beach County can do so at any of the early voting locations.
SPECIAL SECTION: WPTV Voter Information Guide
Link said all poll workers will be equipped with personal protective equipment to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. She said social distancing will be strictly enforced.
"Please consider wearing a mask," Link said. "We'll provide one for you."
Although Palm Beach County has a mask mandate, Link said anyone without a mask won't be denied the right to vote.
"If somebody for health reasons says they cannot, obviously, we are not going to deny them the right to vote," Sartory Link said. "We will make an accommodation."
However, she strongly encouraged voters to wear masks for the sake of the poll workers who have courageously risked their safety to volunteer at the sites.
Sartory Link said anyone without a mask will be asked to step out of line -- not lose his or her place in line -- to provide even more space "to make others feel more comfortable."
"We will do our best to put them in an area that has them less exposed," Sartory Link said.
There's also an incentive to entice poll workers to come help on Election Day.
Sartory Link already has nearly 4,500 workers, but she is looking to lock in about 1,000 more.
"This is a one-time incentive pay for our poll workers of an additional $100 for the election for each poll worker," Sartory Link said.
Starting Monday, voters will have more locations to choose from to drop off a vote-by-mail ballot. Twenty-five mobile vans will be spread out throughout the county and parked outside early voting locations to provide voters another option to drop off their ballot.
Sartory Link said more than 40% of voters in the county requested a vote-by-mail ballot so far, and more than 207,000 have been returned.
