State right to reschedule primary vote

We are on record as strongly favoring state legislators’ efforts to move Pennsylvania’s presidential primary to an earlier date starting in 2024.

A bill to do just that is working its way through the legislative process. The measure, introduced by Columbia County Republican Sen. John R. Gordner, easily passed the Senate and is being considered by the House.

The legislation calls for holding the primary two weeks after Super Tuesday. Had this legislation passed in time for the 2020 election, Pennsylvania’s primary would have been scheduled to take place March 17. This year’s schedule called for the election to take place April 28.

The argument for moving up the primary is to give Pennsylvania a stronger voice in deciding the presidential nominees. As of a few weeks ago it seemed as if Joe Biden had all but wrapped up the Democratic nomination already.

But of course this is not a normal year by any stretch of the imagination. The COVID-19 pandemic has basically put the nomination battle in limbo. Sen. Bernie Sanders is still in the race, but campaigning has all but ceased.

And Pennsylvanians have been ordered or advised to stay at home to the maximum extent possible to limit the risk of having the coronavirus spread further. It’s quite likely that restrictions will still be in place in late April, especially in the hardest-hit areas of the state such as the Philadelphia region.

With all this in mind, state leaders did the right thing in deciding to move the election to June 2. While this runs counter to our general philosophy on this subject, this year’s circumstances demand a different approach.

Pennsylvania is joining more than 10 states in delaying primaries.

There would be far too many difficulties associated with holding the primary in late April.

To begin with, if social distancing recommendations are in effect anywhere in the state, it would be foolish to expect people to congregate at polling places.

The effort to train and recruit poll workers in the weeks leading up to an April 28 election would be severely hampered, to say the least.

Candidates don’t have the ability to campaign right now as they normally would. In the interest of fairness, they should be given time to do so.

And given the extended halt to the campaign, it’s quite possible Pennsylvania Democrats may still have a competitive presidential race in which to vote.

Of course all this is predicated on the notion that the situation with the pandemic will have improved sufficiently by June 2 for this to work. We hope and pray that it will, but no one can say that for sure. Leaders will have to be prepared to adjust accordingly if necessary.

Voters who are in high-risk groups for coronavirus, such as the elderly and those with chronic health conditions, should strongly consider taking advantage of the state’s new vote-by-mail option.

It used to be that the only way to vote without going to the polls was to request an absentee ballot, which requires voters to certify that they are ill or will be out of town on the day of the election.

Legislation that took effect this year makes it easier for any voter to cast a ballot without visiting a voting booth. Just apply for a mail-in ballot no later than May 26, a week before the election. An online form is available at votespa. com. People who don’t have internet access can get the form from a county elections office. These offices are closed right now due to the virus outbreak, but if there’s to be an election in early June, there should be an opportunity to request a form there in time to vote.

The disruption to our political process is one of many unfortunate by-products of the pandemic, though hardly the worst of them. May the steps we are taking now put us in a position to resume these and other normal activities in the not-too-distant future.

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