Note: the video above is a story on health and safety protocols at polling sites.
An election clerk at a voting location in Hurst has tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the closure of the site, Tarrant County election officials announced Thursday on Twitter.
The lead clerk last worked on Monday at the Brookside Community Center at 1244 Brookside Drive, the Tarrant County elections office said.
The location has been closed and all other poll workers have been quarantined and a replacement team of poll workers is being organized. The site will reopen "as soon as it is safe to do so," the office said.
Voters in the area can instead go to other locations in the county, including:
- Tarrant County Northeast Courthouse at 645 Grapevine Highway in Hurst
- Bedford Public Library at 2424 Forest Ridge Drive in Bedford
- The Galley at Tarrant County College's Northeast Campus at 828 W. Harwood Road in Hurst
The county has set records for early voting this month. On Wednesday, 40,068 voters cast their ballot. There have been 352,405 ballots cast so far in this election, as of Wednesday evening.
So, what does an election clerk do? According to the Tarrant County website, clerks:
- Organize the polling place before the polls open
- Ensure that qualified voters are permitted to vote
- Check in and process voters
- Distribute ballots to registered voters
- Provide instructions and assistance to voters
- Answer voters’ questions
- Explain the use of the voting equipment
- Maintain order in the polling place on Election Day
- Obtain results after the polls are closed and closing the polling place
- Serve as an interpreter for voters who speak a language other than English
