Wisconsin primary to continue as scheduled, as other states delay due to coronavirus
Published Date: 4/2/2020
Source: axios.com
Wisconsin's April 7 presidential primary will not be postponed, a federal judge ruled on Thursday, as 13 other states have delayed voting or made changes to promote social distancing to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Washington Post reports.Why it matters: 23 other states and the District of Columbia haven't held primaries yet. The White House is recommending, for now, that Americans practice social distancing and gather in groups of no more than 10 people — while nearly 40 states have issued stay-at-home orders.Wisconsin will extend its deadline for absentee ballots from April 7 to April 13, the Post reports.States that have delayed elections:West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice rescheduled the state's May 12 primary election to June 9 on Wednesday, citing fears surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, AP reports.Rhode Island will push its primary from April 28 to June 2.Ohio lawmakers voted Wednesday to extend the deadline for absentee voting by mail to April 28, after Gov. Mike DeWine said he would support a lawsuit to postpone in-person voting for Ohio's primaries until June 2.Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Indiana will postpone its May 5 primary until June 2.Mississippi will postpone its March 31 congressional runoff to June 23.Connecticut rescheduled its 2020 primary to June 2, per Gov. Ned Lamont.Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced his state would postpone its primary elections from April 28 to June 2. A special election to fill the seat of the late Rep. Elijah Cummings will still take place, but via mail-in vote only.Kentucky will postpone its May 19 primary election to June 23, Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams announced. Louisiana postponed its primary from April 4 to June 30.Georgia moved its primary from March 24 to May 19.Wyoming's Democratic Party suspended the in-person portion of its April 4 caucuses, encouraging voters to vote via ballot pickup and drop off on March 28 and April 4.Pennsylvania's presidential primary is set to be postponed until June 2, AP reports, after the state's lawmakers voted on Wednesday to delay the election due to rising novel coronavirus cases.New York — the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. — has moved its presidential primary to June 23.The other side: Florida, Illinois and Arizona held primaries as scheduled, though turnout took a significant hit.What to watch: Americans should vote in the 2020 general election by mail if physically going to the polls remains unsafe, the commissioner of the Federal Election Commission said in a statement.Go deeper: FEC commissioner recommends voting by mail to safeguard against coronavirusThis story will be updated with future announcements by states.