by Ana Bellinghausen
Douglas County sets a new record high of registered voters for the 2020 general election.
As of Oct. 26, Douglas County has 373,570 registered voters, beating the previous record of 355,000, according to the Douglas County Election Commission.
“I think it’s the interest in the election,” said Chris Carithers, chief deputy of the Douglas County Election Commission. “It’s kind of a pitched battle out there. It looks like everyone is geared to participate in this election.”
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Douglas County also found a significant increase in mail-in voting requests, as many voters chose to vote from home.
The commission received over 190,000 requests for mail-ins for this general election, more than double the 2016 amount, Carithers said.
“We’re doing a lot more by mail, which we think will translate into less on Election Day,” Carithers said. “But we’re keeping our staffing up for Election Day, just in case we get a huge turnout.”
With the record number of registered voters, the Douglas County Election Commission prepares for more safety protocols to handle potential crowds.
Voters can expect social distancing of lines and booths, provided masks, sanitation and even single-use pens this year, according to the commission.
“The state worked well with the US Secretary of State’s office to provide us with a lot of face masks, and the state also provided us the pens,” Carithers said. “However, we started in March to prepare for the worst.”
The Douglas County Health Commission first implemented these protocols in May during the primary election.
“We’ve done everything we can to mitigate any possibilities of any problems,” Carithers said. “We can’t be 100% sure that we won’t have any, but we did get through the primary without any cases of infection, so we think what we’re doing is beneficial and works.”
The Douglas County Election Commission initially worried about reaching the needed amount of volunteer poll workers, but met just the opposite.
More than 1,300 people volunteered to work the polls for the election, allowing the commission to lower the amount of drafted poll workers, according to the commission.
“We’ve been really fortunate for the number of people who have volunteered,” Carithers said. “We’re really in pretty good shape.”
Volunteer poll workers like Anne Walsh, of Omaha, did not want to miss out working this general election.
“I really felt like I just needed to work this election from the citizen point of view because this is such an important election,” Walsh said.
Walsh opted out of working the primary election in May due to the uncertainty of the pandemic.
However, with the commission’s updated health protocols and Walsh’s passion for voting rights, she made sure not to miss this general election.
“I think with my background as a journalist, I’m very much a supporter of the First Amendment and free speech,” Walsh said. “The right to vote is critical to our country.”
With Nebraska’s split Electoral College vote, Douglas County may be a determining factor in the 2020 presidential race.
The historically red state could offer a point for the Democratic side with the split vote possibility.
“A lot of people think the 2nd Congressional District is in play again, and could swing,” Carithers said. “Some are saying the second congressional district in Nebraska could go for Biden this year, which would be countered to the norm.”
The 2008 presidential election marked the first time a congressional district split its vote, as Nebraska gave one Electoral College vote to Barack Obama, even though the state overwhelmingly voted for Sen. John McCain, Carithers said.
“I know that Omaha is a pivotal city, especially when you look at Douglas County and see the Don Bacon and Kara Eastman campaigns, all of those are going to be real pivotal,” Walsh said.
With the record high of registered voters and increased mail-in votes, expectations for Election Day turnouts differ for Carithers and Walsh.
“I’m just looking to see how many people show up in person to vote,” Carithers said. “That’s the only variable. We’re hoping that it’s not as busy, and that things move more quickly.”
Each polling place will staff up to 10 poll workers at each station, regardless of turnout expectations.
However, Walsh said she expects lines just as long as the 2016 general election.
“Despite all of the advanced voting, I still think that it’s going to be just as crazy, if not crazier than the Trump and Clinton election,” Walsh said.
As Election Day arrives, Carithers said he’s confident that the Douglas County Election Commission’s preparation since March will show through.“If this election does turn to a lot more people coming out on Election Day, then we’ll be ready for them, but that’ll be the big surprise,” Carithers said.
