Voters who head out to the polls to cast in-person ballots will be safe, officials said Monday.

All 307 voting precincts will be open Tuesday and safety measures were installed as the number of coronavirus cases continues to mount in Pennsylvania and Westmoreland County.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The county hired about 1,500 poll workers for Tuesday’s election and each will be required to wear masks and be stationed behind plastic shields to greet voters. Certified poll watchers also will have a mask requirement, said Commissioner Sean Kertes.

Voters waiting to vote in person will be asked to remain socially distanced while in line and it is recommended that voters wear masks at the polls.

Each polling location was sent supplies that include gloves, masks and face shields, hand sanitizer and alcohol that will sprayed on the touch-screen voting computers after each use. Cotton swabs will be distributed to voters to use to touch the computer screens, Kertes said.

County officials declined to make a formal prediction for turnout on Tuesday. Commissioner Doug Chew he wouldn’t be surprised if number of voters who cast ballots in person and by mail could reach as high as 80%.

There are 252,800 registered voters in Westmoreland County this fall. More than 76,000 voters requested mail-in ballots and as of Monday morning 75% of those had been returned. Voter turnout for the 2016 presidential election in Westmoreland County was 75% when more than 184,000 ballots were cast.

Voters who didn’t cast ballots at the polls in the June primary will see other changes on Tuesday.

A new $7.1 million voting system purchased last year was used for the first time this spring. The new equipment will operate with touch-screen computers that will mark ballots. But unlike the system used since the mid-2000s, voters will now receive a paper copy of their completed ballot that is printed from one of the 889 voting computers placed throughout the county. Voters will then take those completed ballots and deposit them in digital scanner at each precinct for their vote to be recorded. A video demonstration of how to use the new voting system can be viewed on the county’s website.

Meanwhile, the county will have about 14 employees stationed at a courthouse call center to answer questions from voters and poll workers. To contact the elections bureau on Election Day call 724-830-3150.

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