Coronavirus: Ada to have polling place for COVID-positive voters on Election Day
The Ada County Clerk’s Office says it will have a polling place open on Nov. 3 specifically for voters with COVID-19.
Chelsea Carattini, a spokesperson for the clerk’s office, said Wednesday that officials plan to host people who want to vote in person but have tested positive for the coronavirus on Election Day, Nov. 3.
Carattini said the clerk’s office isn’t publicizing the specific location this far ahead of Nov. 3, and did not respond to questions about the secrecy, saying the site will be available only to a very specific set of voters. She said potential voters will be notified of the coronavirus voting location through contact tracing.
The clerk’s office is encouraging everyone to request an absentee ballot, which would allow people to vote from home instead of going to a polling place either for early voting or on Election Day.
The final day to register to vote is this Friday Oct. 9. However, you can also register to vote on Election Day by visiting a polling place in person just before voting there. Registered voters may request an absentee ballot up until Oct. 23.
Early voting will take place Oct. 13-30 at four locations. They will be open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The locations are:
- Ada County Elections Office: 400 N. Benjamin Lane, Boise
- Meridian City Hall: 33 E. Broadway Ave., Meridian
- Boise Basque Center: 601 W. Grove St., Boise
- Eagle Hope Lutheran Church: 331 N. Linder Road, Eagle
Carattini said Ada County will have 134 polling places open on Nov. 3. To find your voting precinct in Ada County, go to www.gis.adacounty.id.gov/apps/electionday/ for more information.
To register to vote, check your ballot status or for more information, go to www.idahovotes.gov.
6 deaths, over 500 new COVID cases in Idaho on Tuesday
Idaho health districts again reported dismal coronavirus numbers, as 564 new confirmed cases were added to the state’s total on Tuesday. There were also six new deaths — including Idaho’s youngest coronavirus fatality to date.
According to the South Central Public Health District, a Twin Falls County man in his 20s died because of the virus. The man’s death is the first in Idaho of a person that young. Health officials said he had an underlying health condition that put him at high risk.
“This is a terrible reminder that even our young people are not immune to complications from this disease,” said Tanis Maxwell, SCPHD epidemiologist, in a news release.
Five other fatalities were reported in Idaho on Tuesday: a second person in Twin Falls County and one each in Ada, Bonneville, Caribou and Kootenai counties. As of Tuesday, 493 Idahoans have died because of the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 respiratory disease.
Ada County reported 78 new cases on Tuesday, raising its case count to 12,474. Behind Ada was Madison County in Eastern Idaho, with 59 new cases, bringing its total to 994. Canyon County reported 39 new cases, boosting its total to 7,950.
Idaho’s total confirmed case count climbed to 40,907 as of Tuesday. The state’s rolling seven-day average rose to 524.3 cases per day, the highest since July 22.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare says that of those cases, 23,288 people are presumed to be recovered from the virus. IDHW also reports 4,397 “probable” cases. As of Tuesday, 321,794 people in Idaho have been tested for COVID-19, with 12.7% of those tests returning positive, according to IDHW.
All Idaho counties — with the exception of Adams County — have reports of community spread.
Coronavirus cases have been reported in all of Idaho’s 44 counties: Ada 12,474, Adams 27, Bannock 1,189, Bear Lake 51, Benewah 152, Bingham 997, Blaine 673, Boise 59, Bonner 339, Bonneville 2,502, Boundary 49, Butte 48, Camas 31, Canyon 7,950, Caribou 117, Cassia 777, Clark 33, Clearwater 76, Custer 64, Elmore 299, Franklin 176, Fremont 244, Gem 306, Gooding 289, Idaho 220, Jefferson 551, Jerome 728, Kootenai 2,841, Latah 626, Lemhi 96, Lewis 40, Lincoln 78, Madison 994, Minidoka 728, Nez Perce 455, Oneida 27, Owyhee 314, Payette 838, Power 264, Shoshone 215, Teton 189, Twin Falls 2,326, Valley 95, Washington 360.
This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 2:26 PM.
