When you think of a voting booth, what image comes to mind? You probably see a large booth made of sturdy materials with a sliding curtain. The voter goes inside and pulls the curtain, and they’re shut off completely from the outside world, ready to cast their vote in total privacy.
As a polling place employee, there’s probably another image that comes to mind – You and your coworkers lugging those heavy booths and loading them onto a truck, while throwing out your back in the process.
This is the reason why lots of polling places now use cardboard voting booths. They’re much easier in every way and they cost very little, but they also get the job done.
Not Your Ordinary Pizza Box
Yes, cardboard voting booths are made of cardboard. However, they’re made of corrugated cardboard which is much sturdier than your standard pizza box. They’re sturdy enough to be used for multiple elections and many polling places do just that.
Cardboard voting booths come in different sizes, but they generally stand about as tall as an adult’s height. They have a flat surface at a comfortable height where voters can easily fill out their ballots. Three sides of the flat surface have vertical screens that ensure privacy.
Here’s an example of what cardboard voting booths look like. Scroll down the page past the text and you’ll see a model at the top right. There are also table-top voting booths.
The Benefits of Cardboard Voting Booths
Cardboard voting booths make setting up and tearing down your polling place a piece of cake. They’re light, which means no more lugging, and assembly and tear down take just a few minutes. It’s just a matter of unfolding it and connecting the tabs. They come with instructions that show you step-by-step how to do it.
They’re also extremely inexpensive, which is nice for organizations that need to stick to a budget. Although sturdy, the cardboard material isn’t high-priced. You can use the same cardboard voting booths for multiple elections, which means even more cost savings. They also pack up small for easy storage.
The only downside is that they’re not fancy, but there are things you can do about that. Most companies that sell cardboard voting booths will customize them for you with your logo, a national flag, or some other type of design. Voters generally don’t pay much attention to the look of the booth; as long as the polling place is well organized and they’ve got the privacy they need, they’re happy.
Cardboard voting booths offer a nice alternative to traditional booths, which are bulky and inconvenient. They make the complicated process of getting ready for an election a little bit easier.