Polling location consolidation in Portland will lead to the disenfranchisement of voters from the most vulnerable populations - Portlanders with disabilities, low-income Portlanders, working Portlanders, and young Portlanders. Consolidation will cause long lines, increase burdens for voters with accessibility challenges, and will ultimately jeopardize the health of many voters. We insist that the City keep open all of its polling locations for the July 14 primary elections and make plans to ensure the health and safety of poll workers and voters alike.

We understand that recruiting poll workers this year will be more challenging than usual, and we are prepared to step up and identify poll workers from our membership. In addition, we encourage the City officials to work with the Secretary of State to identify local and state government employees who can serve as poll workers. More polling places means fewer voters in each location, which will help ensure that poll workers and voters can follow the Maine CDC's social distancing guidelines.

We hope and expect that the City will have a plan in place to fully staff all 11 polling locations for both the July 14 primary and for the November general election.