Francestown voters will be required to wear a face mask at the polls for the Sept. and Nov. elections, according to an ordinance the Select Board passed on Monday. A separate, outdoor polling place will be available outside Town Hall for voters refusing to wear masks.
“We’re gonna treat all voters, whether masked or unmasked, with the dignity that they deserve,” Town Moderator Kevin Pobst said Wednesday. He described the alternate outdoor site as a large tent with enough room for one of the same voting booths that are set up inside: “A standard voting booth with a curtain and a table to write on,” he said. Francestown has 1,100 registered voters, and Pobst said he’s heard no response from the public regarding protocol for the two elections this fall. The order does not require children under 10 to wear a mask, and specifies what counts as an adequate face covering.
—By ABBE HAMILTON