Georgia is pushing back its Democratic presidential primary from March 24 until May 19, making it the second state to postpone voting amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Georgia’s primary was set to take place a week after four medium-size and large states hold contests on Tuesday, as former Vice President Joe Biden tries to finish off 2020 Democratic rival Bernie Sanders. Biden came from behind in the primary field to beat the Vermont senator handily in the South Carolina primary and then in a swath of contests the past two Tuesdays.
Election officials in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, and Ohio have all indicated voting will proceed as planned on Tuesday. But Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, saw things differently in light of coronavirus concerns that are keeping many residents self-quarantined and at a “social distance” from large groups of people, as would appear at polling places packed with poll workers, security personnel, and others.
“Events are moving rapidly and my highest priority is the health of our poll workers, their families, and the community at large,” Raffensperger, a Republican, said in a statement issued to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday.
The move comes a day after Louisiana’s state government postponed its presidential primary as part of a response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The presidential primary, which was scheduled for April 4, will now take place June 20, Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin said in a press conference on Friday.
The delays in voting are unlikely to have much practical effect on Biden’s position as the presumptive Democratic nominee. Sanders, 78, trails in the delegate count and could only eke out a victory by winning the remaining contests by large margins. A total of 1,991 delegates is needed to claim the Democratic nomination at the party’s convention this summer.
However, later primary dates could delay the date Biden actually clinches the nomination. Sanders in 2016 stayed in the Democratic primary race long after it was apparent he would come up short against nominee Hillary Clinton.
Sanders is set to debate Biden, 77, on Sunday night and has given no indication he’s going to exit the race.
