By: Ally Kaiser, Senior
The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, has caused the United States government to learn and adapt as the pandemic wears on. One of the ways the country has adapted is by changing presidential primary elections in many states. While 29 states have already voted, 15 states and the territory of Puerto Rico have either changed the date of the primary or gone to entirely mail ballots with an extended deadline. Wisconsin held on to its April 7 voting date but has sent every voter an absentee mail-in ballot. Other states to go to mail-in ballots include Alaska (April 10), Wyoming (April 17), and Hawaii (May 22).
12 other states and Puerto Rico have pushed back their voting date. Puerto Rico and Ohio will now vote on April 26 and 28, respectively, and Georgia will now vote on May 19, which is also Oregon’s unchanged primary date. Six states, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, changed their voting date to June 2. Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota will continue with their primaries scheduled for the same day. Later in the month, West Virginia (June 9), Louisiana (June 20), and Kentucky and New York (June 23) will vote.
However, due to the uncertainty of the pandemic, governors and lawmakers are prepared to change more dates if the need arises. In Pennsylvania and other states, voters may request mail-in ballots for any reason, and voters are encouraged to do so.
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