Council elections are set to go ahead in May with one of the 'Covid safe' rules being that we each bring our own pen or pencil.
I don't know about yours but my local polling station is one of the safest social distancing places on the planet. You would be unlucky to be in a queue of more than one, yourself, at most times of the day.
We cannot continue putting off these regular checks and balances on those supposedly running our affairs. They need their feet held to the fire on a daily basis and we / they should not be using Covid as an excuse to let them off the hook.
As for the pens / pencils: what will the rule be - no marker, no vote? Have none of these geniuses heard of sanitising wipes for those who might 'forget' to bring one?