{"id":365672,"date":"2020-08-26T17:23:11","date_gmt":"2020-08-27T00:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcuser&p=365672"},"modified":"2020-09-08T20:00:43","modified_gmt":"2020-09-09T03:00:43","slug":"adapting-voting-practices-to-safeguard-elections","status":"publish","type":"arcuser","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/adapting-voting-practices-to-safeguard-elections","title":{"rendered":"Adapting Voting Practices to Safeguard Elections"},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[423862,25012],"tags":[430851,23452,276132],"arcuser_issues":[471312],"class_list":["post-365672","arcuser","type-arcuser","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arcgis-dashboards","category-managers-corner","tag-covid-19","tag-elections","tag-government-transparency","arcuser_issues-summer-2020"],"acf":{"short_description":"Counties across the United States are relying on GIS to adapt voting practices to the realities brought on by the (COVID-19 pandemic.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"pdf","file":365702},{"acf_fc_layout":"blockquote","content":"In modern elections, GIS is already common. Now, counties around the country are relying on GIS to adapt voting practices to the realities brought on by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Election officials use GIS to analyze polling locations to avoid high-risk venues, increase physical distancing, and take measures that make voting safer for voters and poll workers. Frequently updated web maps can connect voters to polling places where mail-in ballots can be dropped off. GIS has already been used by election officials across the country to safeguard the election process."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"In March 2020, the number of new COVID-19 cases ballooned from nearly zero to upwards of 25,000 every day. The pandemic\u2019s timing coincided with primary season in a major election year. States with primary elections across the country were faced with the same dilemma. It was clear that voting\u2014which attracts large crowds to centralized locations\u2014needed an emergency reassessment.\r\n\r\nDuring the two weeks leading up to Arizona\u2019s Democratic presidential primary in March 2020, officials in Maricopa County, which includes most of the Phoenix metro area, were aware that a storm was coming. They quickly shifted to implement new protections for voters and poll workers. Adding to this challenge, protective gear and cleaning supplies that had been ordered had been diverted to California, leaving insufficient quantities to carry out recommended safety protocols.\r\n\r\nThe logistical challenges in Maricopa County were especially acute. Of the more than 3,000 counties in the United States, Maricopa ranks 4th for population and 15th for size. Only California\u2019s San Bernardino County has a comparably large combination of people and geographic area.\r\n\r\nFurthermore, Arizona has emerged as a solidly \u201cpurple\u201d battleground state. The ability of Maricopa County\u2019s voters to participate in free and fair elections during an historic pandemic carries consequences far beyond the Salt River Valley.\r\n\r\nAlthough most Maricopa County voters take advantage of the state\u2019s robust mail-in ballot system, and the March election was only for the county\u2019s 800,000 registered Democrats, officials predicted that about 100,000 people would arrive at polling places to vote.\r\n\r\nIn addition, many traditional polling locations were no longer viable. Senior centers were closed because elderly people are severely at risk for coronavirus infections. Locations that were too cramped for adequate social distancing were also out. As the primary date approached, Maricopa officials engaged in an increasingly frantic attempt to close some locations and establish new ones.\r\n\r\nIn addition, state law required Maricopa to consolidate polling places so that the total was half the number typically used in a general election. This was a meticulous process that considered in-person voting trends, population centers, and input from community advocacy groups. In 2016, Maricopa had garnered unwanted national attention after miscalculations forced voters to endure long lines at the polls. Since then, Maricopa election officials began using GIS maps to visualize the locations of likely voters and calculate travel times.\r\n\r\nFor the March election, Maricopa County leaders were able to retool the system of in-person voting by moving to a vote center model, which allows voters to choose from any of the county\u2019s polling locations.\r\n\r\nThe county\u2019s mapping tools stood ready for repurposing. GIS allowed election officials to ensure equal access throughout the county, while also reducing the risk of further closures at schools and senior living facilities.\r\n\r\nThe county started acquiring space in places like strip malls. \u201cWe can display them on the map, overlay them with heat maps [showing each location\u2019s likely voters]<\/em>, and see where it made sense to put more locations,\u201d said Gary Bilotta, director of IT and GIS for Maricopa County.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen we first created the map to figure out where to put polling places, we weren\u2019t thinking specifically about using it for this, but it came in handy right when it needed to,\u201d said Bilotta."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Innovative but Out of Sight<\/h3>\r\nThe most innovative uses of GIS for elections often occur on the back end and are never glimpsed by voters. As the act of voting has itself become more political, with battles erupting over the placement of polling stations in states such as Georgia, Wisconsin, and Kentucky, municipalities are using GIS tools to ensure fairness.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen we select a polling location, it\u2019s not just, 'here\u2019s a good building,\u2019\u201d said Carly Koppes, clerk and recorder for Weld County in northern Colorado. \u201cIt\u2019s also \u2018here\u2019s a building, and here\u2019s how many potential voters could use it.\u2019 We integrate information on a map with overlays. We can even look and see how many people have used it in the past; and if it\u2019s low, we can see if maybe it\u2019s because there isn\u2019t a lot of population density, or maybe it\u2019s because of transportation.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe process has helped Weld County find optimal locations for 16 ballot drop boxes for voters to use in lieu of polling stations, adding a layer of social distancing to the voting process.\r\n\r\n "},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":365722,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","image":"","text":"\u201cWe\u2019re more accountable this way. If people worry that their ballot wasn\u2019t counted, we can say, \u2018Well, we were at this drop box at exactly this time; so if you dropped off your ballot, it was in there.' \"","author_name":"Andrea Befus","author_profession_organization":"Utah County"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Encouraging New Ways to Vote<\/h3>\r\nIn Utah County, in central Utah, officials use GIS to promote a shift away from in-person voting. \u201cBecause of COVID-19, we\u2019re trying to get people to use mail-in ballots, instead of voting on Election Day,\u201d said Andrea Befus, a GIS analyst for the county. \u201cSo, we have a whole system that I built for tracking ballots from drop boxes.\u201d\r\n\r\nDuring a period leading up to an election, voters are allowed to use the drop boxes, a process that Befus believes adds a layer of credibility for voters wary of sending their ballot through the mail. A few times a day, officials check the boxes, using ArcGIS QuickCapture and ArcGIS Survey123 to register the time and leave documented proof of their location. When they return to the election office with ballots, they once again register the time and location.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019re more accountable this way,\u201d she said. \u201cIf people worry that their ballot wasn\u2019t counted, we can say, \u2018Well, we were at this drop box at exactly this time; so if you dropped off your ballot, it was in there.\""}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"\nAdapting Voting Practices to Safeguard Elections<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In modern elections, GIS is already common. Now, counties around the country are relying on GIS to adapt voting practices to the realities brought on by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Election officials use GIS to analyze polling locations to avoid high-risk venues, increase physical distancing, and take measures that make voting safer for voters and poll workers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/adapting-voting-practices-to-safeguard-elections\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Adapting Voting Practices to Safeguard Elections\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In modern elections, GIS is already common. Now, counties around the country are relying on GIS to adapt voting practices to the realities brought on by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Election officials use GIS to analyze polling locations to avoid high-risk venues, increase physical distancing, and take measures that make voting safer for voters and poll workers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/adapting-voting-practices-to-safeguard-elections\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Esri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-09-09T03:00:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2020\/08\/elections_banner.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Esri\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/adapting-voting-practices-to-safeguard-elections\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/adapting-voting-practices-to-safeguard-elections\",\n\t \"name\": \"Adapting Voting Practices to Safeguard Elections\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\"\n\t },\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2020-08-27T00:23:11+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2020-09-09T03:00:43+00:00\",\n\t \"description\": \"In modern elections, GIS is already common. Now, counties around the country are relying on GIS to adapt voting practices to the realities brought on by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Election officials use GIS to analyze polling locations to avoid high-risk venues, increase physical distancing, and take measures that make voting safer for voters and poll workers.\",\n\t \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/adapting-voting-practices-to-safeguard-elections#breadcrumb\"\n\t },\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/adapting-voting-practices-to-safeguard-elections\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/adapting-voting-practices-to-safeguard-elections#breadcrumb\",\n\t \"itemListElement\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 1,\n\t \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 2,\n\t \"name\": \"Adapting Voting Practices to Safeguard Elections\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Esri\",\n\t \"description\": \"Esri Newsroom\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t \"target\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t },\n\t \"query-input\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t }\n\t }\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/82e5143bcdebadf8fd64d84e503ca468\",\n\t \"name\": \"Monica Pratt\",\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/MonicaMug_agol2.jpg\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/MonicaMug_agol2.jpg\",\n\t \"caption\": \"Monica Pratt\"\n\t },\n\t \"description\": \"Monica Pratt is the founding and current editor of ArcUser magazine, the executive editor of ArcNews magazine, the editor of Esri Globe and head of the Publications team at Esri. She has been writing on technology topics, specializing in GIS, for more than 30 years. Before joining Esri in 1997, she worked for newspapers and in the financial industry.\",\n\t \"sameAs\": [\n\t \"https:\/\/x.com\/ArcUser\"\n\t ],\n\t \"url\": \"\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Adapting Voting Practices to Safeguard Elections","description":"In modern elections, GIS is already common. Now, counties around the country are relying on GIS to adapt voting practices to the realities brought on by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Election officials use GIS to analyze polling locations to avoid high-risk venues, increase physical distancing, and take measures that make voting safer for voters and poll workers.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/adapting-voting-practices-to-safeguard-elections","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Adapting Voting Practices to Safeguard Elections","og_description":"In modern elections, GIS is already common. Now, counties around the country are relying on GIS to adapt voting practices to the realities brought on by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Election officials use GIS to analyze polling locations to avoid high-risk venues, increase physical distancing, and take measures that make voting safer for voters and poll workers.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/adapting-voting-practices-to-safeguard-elections","og_site_name":"Esri","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/","article_modified_time":"2020-09-09T03:00:43+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2020\/08\/elections_banner.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@Esri","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/adapting-voting-practices-to-safeguard-elections","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/adapting-voting-practices-to-safeguard-elections","name":"Adapting Voting Practices to Safeguard Elections","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-08-27T00:23:11+00:00","dateModified":"2020-09-09T03:00:43+00:00","description":"In modern elections, GIS is already common. Now, counties around the country are relying on GIS to adapt voting practices to the realities brought on by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Election officials use GIS to analyze polling locations to avoid high-risk venues, increase physical distancing, and take measures that make voting safer for voters and poll workers.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/adapting-voting-practices-to-safeguard-elections#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/adapting-voting-practices-to-safeguard-elections"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcuser\/adapting-voting-practices-to-safeguard-elections#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Adapting Voting Practices to Safeguard Elections"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/","name":"Esri","description":"Esri Newsroom","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/82e5143bcdebadf8fd64d84e503ca468","name":"Monica Pratt","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/MonicaMug_agol2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2018\/08\/MonicaMug_agol2.jpg","caption":"Monica Pratt"},"description":"Monica Pratt is the founding and current editor of ArcUser magazine, the executive editor of ArcNews magazine, the editor of Esri Globe and head of the Publications team at Esri. She has been writing on technology topics, specializing in GIS, for more than 30 years. Before joining Esri in 1997, she worked for newspapers and in the financial industry.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/ArcUser"],"url":""}]}},"sort_order":"4","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arcuser\/365672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arcuser"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/arcuser"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arcuser\/365672\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=365672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=365672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=365672"},{"taxonomy":"arcuser_issues","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arcuser_issues?post=365672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}