Page 138 - Conducting Elections during COVID-19

120 INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF CONDUCTING ELECTIONS DURING COVID-19

An elderly resident wearing a face mask and protective gloves casts a ballot during Poland’s presidential election in
Warsaw.

Legislative provisions for the presidential election of 28 June

The ‘Special Election Act’, brought in a number of changes for conducting the 2020 presidential election
compared to provisions of the Election Code. The changes accommodated mitigating measures to
match the situation emanating from COVID-19 pandemic and provided for stability and continuity of
the electoral process.

Health protection measures adopted to mitigate Public
Health Risks from COVID-19

The Special Election Act mandated the Ministry of Health to determine personal protective equipment
for members of PECs as well as detailed sanitary rules applicable to polling stations.
These guidelines were issued on 15 June and provided for the following measures for the PEC Members
and others:

• Disposable gloves for PEC members;
• Hand sanitizer for PEC members and for voters at the entrance to each polling station;
• Face masks and vizors for PEC members;
• Social distancing for PEC members and for voters; Poll workers to be at least 1.5 meters apart,
and each of their stations to be covered with a barrier at least one meter above the “breathing
zone.”
• Regular airing of polling station premises;
• Not covering tables with cloth or other absorbent material; and
• Regular disinfection of surfaces touched by voters and other people inside polling stations.

• Based on the size of the electoral precinct, there was a maximum of one person allowed per 15
square meters.
• Polling stations were to be aired out at least every hour for 10 minutes.

For polling stations abroad, these measures would not apply if they were not required in the host
country. On the eve of the election the National Election Commission (NEC) reminded voters that the
existing requirement to cover their mouth and nose in public places also extended to polling stations
and encouraged them to observe social distancing and other health precautions.