Coffee stirrers used to ensure safe voting in Nashville

Of the myriad of tools used to assure that citizens can vote safely during a pandemic, perhaps the most mundane is the humble coffee stirrer. Yet hundreds of thousands have been ordered by Davidson County, Tennessee (which encompasses Nashville) to facilitate touchless screen voting. The method was successful enough during the August primaries that it’s been adapted for the 450,000 county residents expected to vote in the general election. “We didn’t want to do the touching because we would have to do the cleaning after every voter,” administrator of elections Jeff Roberts told NewsChannel 5 Nashville, noting that the stirrers could be recycled for future use. Other counties are relying on comparable tools such as popsicle sticks and Q-tips to ensure our democratic process.