Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab visited the Topeka, Kansas, location of Binswanger Glass on Tuesday, June 9, to meet with company representatives, tour the facility and answer questions from the press. Binswanger Glass is fabricating over 2,000 polycarbonate shields for polling locations to use in the 2020 primary and general elections.
"Kansas received $4.6 million in federal funding to help states prepare for, prevent and respond to the coronavirus pandemic for the 2020 federal election cycle," says Schwab. "Approximately $1 million of that funding is being used to procure PPE equipment, like polycarbonate shields, to protect Kansas voters, volunteers, and workers in the 2020 elections."
Secretary Schwab met with Jason Tomlinson, Binswanger branch manager, and Travis Greenwald, regional director of operations, to review the ongoing efforts to produce and deliver the polycarbonate shields to each of Kansas' 105 counties.
"No one in Kansas should be afraid to vote," says Tomlinson. "We're helping provide an added layer of protection to voters and the community. The barriers are not intrusive, and they provide a safer way for the public to vote."
The ¼-inch thick barriers are 24 inches wide, and 42 inches high, with two ½-inch thick legs held on by 2-inch screws. The kit can be assembled in a few minutes with a screwdriver.
"The shields protect voters and officials from coming in direct, face-to-face contact," Greenwald says. "The right to vote is the foundation of democracy. Our team couldn't be prouder to protect the public and help them exercise their civic duty and freedom to vote."
"A lot of people in our communities really enjoy going to the polling place," Schwab says. "We don't want to take that from them, but at the same time, we don't want them to feel endangered."
