STEP 2021: everything you need to know to vote in the pandemic

09/11/2021 10:53

• Clarín.com

• Society

Updated 9/11/2021 10:53

Sunday's election will be the first amid a pandemic.

There is the antecedent of influenza A, in 2009, when it was necessary to go to the polls with certain care to avoid contagion, but it was an epidemic that in no way reached the magnitude that the coronavirus continues to have.

The Simultaneous and Compulsory Open Primaries (PASO) on Sunday will exhibit an organizational challenge that will have its particularities in each jurisdiction and certain measures and protocols will have to be complied with in order to provide protection to voters, polling station authorities and all those involved.

Are the PASSES mandatory?

Yes, they are mandatory.

But this year, due to the pandemic, the National Electoral Chamber established that citizens who have covid-19, those who are considered suspicious cases or are close contact of a positive case and people who, because they are a risk group, have medical indication not to vote.

In each case, it will be necessary to have a

certificate proving the situation

.

People who, on election day, are

more than 500 kilometers from their polling place

are also exempt from

voting

, provided that during that same day, they justify their removal to the police authority for reasonable reasons.

The other exceptions are the judges and assistants who must attend their offices and keep them open during the electoral act, and the personnel of

public service organizations and companies

that cannot attend due to their function, with the corresponding justification of the employer before the Ministry of the Interior of the Nation.

Do I vote in the same place as in 2019?

To avoid crowds, there are new polling stations and the location assigned in 2021 may not be the same as in previous elections.

That is why it is essential to

consult the final electoral roll

to confirm the center to be attended.

The registry can be consulted at www.padron.gov.ar

What is the time range to go to vote?

The voting tables open at 8 in the morning and close at 18. However, the electoral authorities clarified that, based on the sanitary measures to be applied,

the processes will probably be delayed

,

so they do not rule out the extension of the closing time.

If at the time of the closing of the election there are still people lining up in front of the school, the judicial delegate will go out to

distribute numbers

so that those who arrived before 18 can then enter to vote.

Are there priority schedules for people at risk?

People over the age of 70

should not queue at any time

.

They have priority throughout the election day, from 8 am to 6 pm.

This affects the province of Buenos Aires and the City of Buenos Aires.

In the rest of the country a minimum

priority

schedule was established

from 10:30 to 12:30

and its extension depends on each court with the power to extend it, reported from the National Electoral Chamber.

There will be

health facilitators

to provide guidance and help find the table for each older adult if necessary.

How does public transport work on Sunday 12?

To facilitate the mobility of voters, this Sunday and November 14 all means of public transport will operate

free of charge

.

This includes buses, trains, and subways.

The latter will begin to provide service at 7, an hour before their usual hours on Sundays.

The Public Bicycle System in the City (www.baecobici.com.ar) will also be free, as long as trips of up to half an hour are made.

If I have symptoms compatible with covid, I am close contact or I test positive, do I have to go to vote?

Citizens have a positive PCR for covid-19, compatible symptoms or have been in contact with someone who has the disease and, therefore, does not want to vote, they can process a justification of "no voting" through the page CNE website.

What sanitary measures must I comply with?

Social distance

of two meters with the rest of the voters.

Always keep the

chinstrap

or tapaboca covering nose, mouth and chin.

Use hand

sanitizer

before, during and after the process.

What sanitary measures must the electoral headquarters comply with?

The lines will be located mainly outside the voting centers and, if the characteristics of the place allow it, there will also be

reduced lines in the internal courtyards

.

Each establishment will have a health facilitator, who will have the task of ordering the entry and exit of voters and reinforcing the importance of the correct use of masks.

In addition, the cleaning and disinfection of surfaces, doorknobs, dark rooms, floors and bathrooms will be carried out before, during and at the end of election day.

In turn,

all tables will have a sanitary kit

.

Do I have to bring a pen?

What is recommended by the authorities is to

bring your

own

pen

or pen, to sign the minutes.

If you do not have one, there will be one on the table.

What do I do with my ID when I get to my table?

Instead of handing over the DNI in hand to the table authority,

support must be given to verify

the DNI number and the serial number (obtained when the electoral roll is consulted at padron.gov.ar), who recommend taking it annotated to expedite the voting process.

What documents are used to vote?

The law is clear on this.

The copy of the document must be the

same or later than the one that appears in the register

.

In this sense, the vote of citizens whose document corresponds to a copy prior to the one that appears in the electoral roll will not be allowed, nor of those who present the “DNI on their cell phone”.

Valid voting documents are:

• Enrollment book / civic book

• Green notebook ID

• Sky blue notebook ID

• Celestial notebook DNI card, which contains the legend "Not valid to vote."

• New DNI card

The polling station authorities may ask the voter to

remove his mask for a moment

to verify his identity.

How and when do I close the envelope?

The envelope must be closed

in the dark room

to preserve the secrecy of the vote.

It can be done using alcohol gel instead of saliva, but it will suffice to turn the flap inward.

Although it

 is recommended not to use saliva

to close it, doing so will not invalidate the vote.

Must they give me a proof of vote?

Yes, the President of the Table will deliver the

signed

"proof of voting"

, which includes the voter's information and the date of the election.

Can I go with someone to vote?

It is a tradition in many families to take children to vote to learn from the process and have a full civics lesson.

In these elections it

is recommended to enter the voting center unaccompanied

, "except in cases of force majeure."

People with accessibility difficulties or people with disabilities have priority and can enter with a companion or request assistance from the polling station authorities (which is called assisted voting) and will be assigned an

accessible dark room

so that they do not have to move or climb stairs .

LGP

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