Tuesday primaries on despite virus fears
Louisiana only state to postpone; many poll workers quit
Election officials in the four states holding presidential primaries next week say they have no plans to postpone voting amid widespread disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Instead, they are taking extraordinary steps to ensure that voters can cast ballots and polling places are clean.
They have been scrambling to recruit replacements for poll workers dropping out over fears of contracting the virus, providing cotton swabs for voters to use on touchscreen machines and extending absentee voting deadlines. Only one state, Louisiana, announced plans to postpone its primary, from April to June.
“Americans have participated in elections during challenging times in the past, and based on the best information we have from public health officials, we are confident that voters in our states can safely and securely cast their ballots in this election,” top election officials from Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio said in a joint statement Friday that also encouraged healthy poll workers to show up.
Meanwhile, U.S. troops in Afghanistan are not being tested for the novel coronavirus, U.S. military officials told the House Armed Services Committee.
There is “no availability of testing for COVID-19” for troops there, a U.S. Central Command representative told the committee in a statement made available by the committee on Friday.
Members of Congress are particularly concerned about the nearly 13,000 troops in Afghanistan because many of them are deployed near Iran. Iran has more than 11,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, third most in the world behind China’s 80,000-plus cases and Italy’s more than 15,000, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Many U.S. troops are stationed in Italy.
South Korea, another nation with a substantial U.S. military presence, has nearly 8,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 — the fourth most in the world.
Congressional aides said they have been told that Central Command is weighing whether to scale back or cancel military exercises in the region, but no decisions have been made.
In Miami, Mayor Francis Suarez placed himself in isolation after becoming one of the first American elected officials to confirm he has COVID-19.
Mr. Suarez, 42, was tested after having come in close contact earlier this week with a top adviser to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who disclosed his diagnosis Thursday. A delegation from the South American country had visited Florida and also met with President Donald Trump at his
Mar-a-Lago club.
Mr. Bolsonaro said Friday that he had tested negative, though people in the early stages of infection often do. The White House has said Mr. Trump does not need to be tested
For most people, COVID19 causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the virus.
Election officials routinely prepare for natural disasters and other disruptions, but the COVID-19 outbreak poses a unique challenge as some areas of the country urge members of the public to work from home and avoid crowds.
Election Day voting in the U.S. largely relies on an army of poll workers who staff schools, community centers and government buildings open for the public to cast ballots in person. Because many poll workers are older, they may be especially concerned about the virus. School closures and safety concerns at senior living communities have thrown some polling places into question.
Nearly 50 of the roughly 600 paid volunteers have withdrawn in Volusia County, Fla. In that state, a group of voting and civil rights groups wrote to the governor and secretary of state urging them to extend early voting opportunities and the vote-by-mail deadline, open additional vote centers, and take steps to notify voters of any changes to polling places or voting procedures.
Hundreds of poll workers and election judges in Illinois have canceled their assignments, leaving election officials, particularly in Chicago, scrambling.
In Georgia, where the average age for poll workers is 70 years old, about 300 poll workers have said they would no longer be available to work in the March 24 primary. Early voting for Georgia’s upcoming primary continued Friday, as state election officials weighed their options, including whether to postpone.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration but said it would not affect the state’s May primary runoff elections that will decide congressional races. Wisconsin also said it planned to proceed with its April 7 primary.
But Louisiana officials decided the risk was too great. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said he planned to sign an executive order delaying the April 4 primary until June 20, describing the step as “necessary to protect the health and safety of the people of Louisiana.”