States postpone or cancel primaries in response to coronavirus

Former Vice President Joe Biden is considered the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, but several states still have yet to hold primary elections. Some states have either postponed or canceled their primaries, due to concerns about in-person voting in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

In March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that no gatherings with 50 people or more take place for two months, and the White House has also recommended that individuals not gather in groups larger than 10 people. Nonetheless, Wisconsin held its primary on April 7, after state Republicans blocked efforts to postpone the election. Biden won the Wisconsin primary.

For the most part, however, states have taken action to ensure the safety of its citizens while voting. June 2 could be considered the new Super Tuesday, as six states have moved their primaries to that date. Other states have canceled in-person voting entirely in favor of vote-by-mail. Puerto Rico postponed its March 29 primary, but a new date has not yet been selected.

Here is a rundown of states that have postponed or canceled their primaries in response to the coronavirus:

Alaska

Alaska canceled its April 4 in-person primary in favor of encouraging more people to vote by mail. The state also extended the deadline for the party to receive mail-in ballots from March 24 to April 10. Biden won the state’s primary.

Connecticut

Connecticut postponed its primary from April 28 to June 2.

Delaware

Delaware postponed its primary from April 28 to June 2. Delaware Governor John Carney signed an executive order changing the date on March 24.

“Delawareans have a basic, fundamental right to vote,” Carney said in a statement. “Today’s order will preserve that right and allow Delawareans to vote by absentee ballot in the presidential primary on June 2.”

Georgia

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger initially postponed the state’s primary from March 24 to May 19. After Governor Brian Kemp extended the state of emergency in the state, Raffensperger announced the in-person primary would be moved to June 9. Georgia is also mailing absentee ballot request forms to all active voters.

Hawaii

Hawaii canceled in-person primary voting and added another round of mailed ballots on April 4. The deadline for returning ballots is May 22, with results announced May 23.

Indiana

Indiana postponed its primary from May 5 to June 2. All voters also have the option to vote by mail, and any mail-in ballots previously printed with a May 5 date on them will still be valid.

Kansas

Kansas canceled its in-person primary and moved to entirely to vote-by-mail with ballots to be returned by May 2.

Kentucky

Kentucky moved its primary from May 19 to June 23.

Louisiana

Louisiana initially postponed its primary from April 4 to June 20. It has now delayed the primary to an even later date, July 11.

Maryland

Maryland moved its primary from April 28 to June 2. Governor Larry Hogan announced that limited polling places would be open to accommodate voters with disabilities or without permanent addresses, but urged all others to vote by mail.

Montana

Each of Montana’s counties opted to do a vote-by-mail primary on June 2. Ballots will be mailed to all active voters on May 8.

New Jersey

New Jersey postponed its primary from June 2 to July 7.

New York

New York moved its presidential primary from April 28 to June 23. State legislative and congressional primaries were already set to take place on June 23.

Ohio

Ohio postponed its election from an in-person primary on March 17 to vote-by-mail with a deadline of April 28. Ballots postmarked by April 27 but received after April 28 must be received by May 8 to count.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania moved its primary from April 28 to June 2. Any voter can request a mail-in ballot.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island moved its primary from April 28 to June 2.

West Virginia

West Virginia postponed its primary from May 12 to June 9.

Wyoming

Wyoming canceled in-person caucuses, which were schedule for April 4. Voters registered as Democrats by March 20 will be able to vote by mail with a drop-off deadline extended to April 17.

Sarah Ewall-Wice and Kabir Khanna contributed to this report.