Georgia second US state to delay presidential primaries over coronavirus fears
Georgia has become the second state to delay its presidential primaries over coronavirus fears, a day after Louisiana also pushed back voting in primaries.
In-person early voting, which began statewide 2 March, will be halted and the election that was scheduled for 24 March will be moved to 19 May, when Georgia’s other 2020 primary elections are being held, Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger said in a statement on Saturday.
In addition to public safety, one of the biggest considerations was the risk the virus posed to poll workers, who are often older, election officials said.
“Events are moving rapidly and my highest priority is protecting the health of our poll workers, and the community at large,” Raffensperger said.
It came after Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, signed an emergency declaration that unlocked sweeping powers to fight Covid-19. In a speech on Saturday, the governor renewed a call for places of worship, schools and others to consider canceling large gatherings as cases in the state rise.
On Friday, Louisiana became the first state to postpone its presidential primaries due to the virus.
As of Saturday, the virus had infected more than 150,000 people worldwide and killed over 5,800. The death toll in the US rose to 51 with more than 2,100 infections, as Donald Trump expanded a ban on travel from Europe by adding Britain and Ireland to the list.
Georgia is reporting 66 confirmed cases, with most concentrated around Atlanta. One death in the state has been attributed to the virus.
Cobb County elections director Janine Eveler said in an interview Saturday evening that her heavily populated Atlanta county had seen “a little over 100” poll workers quit in recent days because of fears over the virus.
“Each day we had more and more poll workers wanting to bow out due to concern over their health,” Eveler said, adding that she believed the decision to postpone the election was the right one.
Only one candidate is on the Republican ballot in Georgia for the presidential primary: Trump.
The Democratic race has been narrowed to a two-man matchup between former vice president Joe Biden and Vermont senator Bernie Sanders. Biden has been leading Sanders in key
Georgia demographics such as African Americans and suburban voters and has been endorsed by a slew of state and local officials.
Raffensperger’s office said that the decision to postpone the election was made in consultation with the state Democratic and Republican parties.
“Our priority is to protect the health and safety of all Georgians and to ensure that as many people as possible have an opportunity to vote,” state senator Nikema Williams, chair of the Democratic party of Georgia said, according to the statement. “Continued in-person voting could compromise both goals.”
All votes already cast, including inperson and absentee ballots, will be counted. As of Thursday, 224,000 voters had already cast ballots in the primary, according to Associated Press elections research.
The delayed election is the latest in a long list of disruptions to ordinary life the virus has caused.
School districts covering the majority of Georgia’s 1.8 million public school students have announced closures. Among many events postponed or canceled are the NCAA final four basketball tournament in Atlanta, Savannah’s St Patrick’s Day parade and the Masters golf tournament in Augusta.