Kentucky is the third state to postpone scheduled primaries due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Kentucky law allows the secretary of state and the governor to jointly act to change the time of an election due to a state of emergency,” Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams said in a video posted to Twitter on Monday. “Today, Gov. [Andy] Beshear and I agreed to delay the primary election.”
The primaries, originally scheduled for May 19, which include the Democratic presidential primary and congressional primaries, will now take place on June 23. Adams added that he hopes the move will allow the primary to take place in a safe environment, but if not, it will give them time to reassess.
“I never would have imagined sitting here discussing this with you, but these are unprecedented times, and we Kentuckians are having to change the way we do things on all fronts,” Adams said.
The May 19th primary election is delayed to June 23rd. Find out why here: pic.twitter.com/qMAlT4RS4N
— KY Sec. of State Michael G. Adams (@KYSecState) March 16, 2020
Louisiana and Georgia have also delayed their primaries over concerns about the coronavirus. Ohio, which holds a primary on Tuesday, and Puerto Rico have also taken steps to postpone their primaries.
Kentucky’s Democratic presidential primary accounts for 54 nominating delegates. The Florida, Illinois, and Arizona primaries scheduled for Tuesday are at present set to continue as planned.
Adams added that the decision to delay the primary was bipartisan.
“Postponing the primary was not an easy decision, but the Republican secretary of state and Democratic governor agree, and so do county clerks of both parties,” he said.
