The coronavirus or COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc in other countries ever since the outbreak in China. The pandemic has since disrupted the usual electoral proceedings in the United States and now Ohio governor Mike DeWine is proposing that the Ohio primary be moved to June instead.
DeWine proposed that the state of Ohio postpone the in-person voting for the presidential primary which was scheduled for March 17th, Tuesday due to the concerns surrounding the coronavirus. The Ohio governor suggested that the in-person voting in Ohio take place in June instead. DeWine explained during the press conference that he does not want the residents to risk their health by going to the voting places, especially as among the measures advised by both the government and public health officials was to stay away from crowded places in order to slow the transmission of the virus.
“We should not force them to make this choice between their health and their constitutional rights and their duties as American citizens,” said DeWine. The Ohio governor met with both Democratic and Republican parties in the state first before coming to the decision. He plans to file a lawsuit in Franklin County to request to postpone the voting. Frank LaRose, the Ohio Secretary of State, stated that he would ask the state attorney not to contest the lawsuit and will submit their own recommendation to the court to suspend voting until June.
Ohio is not the only state that plans to postpone in-person voting or has postponed its primary. Louisiana has postponed its voting, originally from April 4th to June 20th. Georgia has also decided to postpone its primary, originally scheduled for March 24th and instead will take place on May 19th. According to Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia Secretary of State, “Events are moving rapidly and my highest priority is protecting the health of our poll workers, their families, and the community at large,” said Raffensperger.
The state’s presidential primary will now be going on alongside the primaries for local, state, and congress. The early in-person voting has also been suspended, however, according to the Georgia Democratic Party chairperson Nikema Williams, votes that have already been cast prior to the postponement will still count.