DELAWARE COUNTY, Ohio (WCMH) — In an effort to keep COVID-19 numbers down, the CDC and Ohio Department of Health collaborated with Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose to keep voters and election officials safe this election year.

In August, LaRose issued the Ohio Voting Safety Plan to our state’s 88 county boards of elections. LaRose said the goal of the 61-point plan is to keep voters and poll volunteers safe and healthy in the 2020 General Election.

The plan addresses issues like routine cleaning of voting machines and e-poll books, mask requirements for voters and poll workers, regular hand washing, social distancing efforts, and more.

One of the main things addressed this year is if people have COVID-19, they have the option of curbside voting.

“If you’ve been exposed or have symptoms, (we want) to make curbside voting available,” said LaRose.

He said as Ohioans pass polling locations, voters should be aware that the lines may appear longer because of social distancing efforts and they will move faster than most people think.

Additionally, for those who English is not their primary language, there will be poll wokers available to translate in selected areas.

“We also make an effort to make sure that in neighborhoods where there is a high concentration of people for whom English is their second language, that we try to have bilingual poll workers,” LaRose said.

Lastly, LaRose cautioned Ohioans that final election results will not be available on election night, but that there should be some indication of the race results.

“We never have a final result on election night, but what we have is a very good snapshot of where we are,” he said. “For 10 days after the election, ballots can continue arriving as long as they have, they were postmarked before Nov. 2. They can arrive until the 13th of November.”