Philadelphia June 2 primary will only have 188 polling locations

According to City Commissioners, the upcoming June 2 primary will only have188 polling locations. This represents nearly 80% fewer polling places. The reduction is due to the strains placed on the city’s election machine by the coronavirus.

Election officials justified the changes due to various factors resulting from the pandemic. They include a shortage of poll workers and the closure of nursing homes that previously operated as voting spots.

The assignment of new voting locations is considering those neighborhoods where fewer mail-in ballot applications have been submitted.

Social distancing is an issue taken into consideration for the available options. Election officials are spotting more spacious locations that can allow for social distancing among voters.

Although they recognize that this is uncharted territory, they are confident of success. “There’s no playbook for this thing right now,” said Deputy City Commissioner Nick Custodio.

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After postponing the primary from April to June, state lawmakers signed an emergency law that allows counties to reduce their polling places by up to 60%. Philadelphia and three other counties sought approval last week to make further cuts.

Under normal conditions, there is about one polling place for every two voting divisions in the city, but the pandemic polling place list divides the city into zones where an average of 10 voting divisions or precints, as they are called, will share a polling place. This situation makes difficult the access of people to those places.

At the same time, voters may be forced into closer quarters at the shared locations, raising the risk of viral spread. Health Commissioner Dr. Tom Farley said the health department is working with election officials to get the locations up to federal pandemic standards.

Anticipating a steep drop-off at the polls, officials have been promoting mail-in ballots as the safest way to vote during the pandemic.

More than 100,000 Philadelphians have already applied to vote by mail this year. The deadline to apply for a ballot is May 26.