Coronavirus Makes Its Mark on 2020 Election as First Democratic Primary Is Postponed
Louisiana has opted to postpone its April 4 primary election over concerns of the coronavirus, Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin announced Friday.
“Louisiana is no stranger to natural disasters and well adapted at navigating any situation mother nature throws our way,” Ardoin said.
“While hurricane, floods and tornadoes are at the forefront of all Louisianan spines, the threat we face from the COVID-19 virus is an unprecedented threat and unlike any we have faced.”
The Republican secretary of state then outlined how he worked in a bipartisan manner with Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards to postpone both the presidential primary and the general election.
He has requested that the April 4 presidential primary will be postponed until June 20, and the May 9 municipal general election will be postponed until July 25.
“Safe and secure elections also mean safety to the people of Louisiana,” Ardoin said.
As of Friday morning, Louisiana had tested 94 people for COVID-19, and there were 33 presumptive positive results for the virus, The Hill reported.
Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio are all still holding primary elections on Tuesday.
“I want to make clear the election will proceed forward on Tuesday,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at a media conference Thursday, according to the Chicago Tribune.
However, the polling places that were going to be held in nursing homes will most likely be relocated for the safety of the residents.
Other states are similarly scrambling to move polling places away from high-risk individuals, Politico reported.
Ohio has moved nearly 150 polling places. A spokesperson for the Franklin County Board of Elections in Ohio told Politico he received panicked phone calls from directors of nursing home facilities.
“They want to limit residents’ exposure to visitors because that’s such a vulnerable population,” Aaron Sellers said.
The Centers for Disease Control sent guidance to election officials, urging states and counties to encourage mail-in voting and early voting in order to “minimize direct contact with other people and reduce crowd size at polling stations.”
“We’re seeing that this public health moment presents challenges for elections officials,” Kristen Clarke, the president and executive director of the National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said.
“And it’s having a cascading effect,” she added. “By next week, on Tuesday, we’ll see coronavirus having an even broader impact on how elections are playing out.”
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