Posted on 11/02/2021 2:52:04 PM PDT by lightman
UPDATE:
Following reporting from Townhall and others that Virginia voters were being required to wear a mask in order to cast a ballot on Tuesday, Virginia Department of Elections Commissioner Chris Piper reminded poll workers that masks could not be a prerequisite to voting.
"We have gotten several reports of voters either being turned away or being made to wait until the polling place is clear before being allowed to vote if they refuse to wear a mask," Commissioner Piper wrote.
"You may not turn voters away because they are not wearing masks," he reiterated, echoing official guidance issued in September 2020 (see below). "While masks are encouraged, every eligible voter is entitled to cast a ballot at their polling place," Piper said, adding "it is not sufficient to offer curbside voting as an alternative."
"Additionally," Piper clarified, "you may not hold up the line to vote based on whether voters are wearing masks."
ORIGINAL POST:
As Virginians headed to vote on Election Day, reports began to surface Tuesday morning that some were being told a mask must be worn in order to enter a polling location and cast a ballot.
Townhall independently verified that a handful of Virginians who cast ballots in-person this morning were told masks were required to vote as well.
As claims of similar incidents continued to surface, the Republican Party of Virginia tweeted that "if someone is not wearing a face covering they may NOT be turned away or refused their right to vote."
In addition, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund also tweeted out a message reiterating masks are "not required at polling sites in Virginia" and that voters who forget or don't wear a mask "should not be turned away for not having a mask."
The chief counsel for the RNC also clarified that Virginia's Department of Elections declared there is no masking requirement to vote.
According to official guidance from the Virginia Department of Elections issued on September 9, 2020 election workers cannot require a voter to wear a mask in order to cast a ballot and "cannot turn a voter away because they refuse to use a mask."
The guidance also declares that poll workers "cannot turn a voter away because they refuse to submit to a temperature check or if their temperature measures higher than usual" and even if a "voter is symptomatic and insists on voting in the polling place, you cannot turn them away."
While that's already a pretty clear ban on turning away voters for not wearing a mask, having a fever, or being otherwise symptomatic, the guidance spells it out even more explicitly: "A voter may insist on voting in-person. Your election official cannot turn away a voter."
Sounds like an illegal poll tax to me!
Fraud vitiates the entire election.
But yet — “No ID ??? No problem, go ahead and vote”
So? Nothing will be done. Liberals get away with murder. Conservatives just bend over and take it.
Find any official that turned away a mask less voter and change them, convict them, and throw them in jail. Arrest them today!
Are we to the point where anyone wearing a mask in an optional location or outside is a Democrat?
“Sounds like an illegal poll tax to me!”
You just know that masks will somehow appear for the “right” voters. I strongly recommend that Republican voters bring LOTS of extra masks for others.
“Sounds like an illegal poll tax to me!”
The Pubbies are supposed to have a small army of lawyers there, sounds like an emergency order is required.
Cheaters gonna cheat.... Democrats are cheaters....
“Find any official that turned away a mask less voter and change them, “ ...
they are not Biden
My iPad is sabotaging me by autocorrecting what I type.
Let’s go Brandon
Find out who and where.
Then find that person
Yup....Demo-diaperers.
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