Georgia election officials postponed the presidential primary scheduled for March 24 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger made the decision after Gov. Brian Kemp declared a public health emergency on March 14.
“Events are moving rapidly and my highest priority is protecting the health of our poll workers, their families, and the community at large,” Raffensperger says.
Early voting in the presidential primary ended a week early on Saturday and will resume April 27. All eligible Georgia voters who have not yet voted in the presidential primary will be allowed to do so. All votes already cast will be counted
Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives David Ralston agreed with Raffensperger’s decision.
“I support Secretary Raffensperger’s decision to delay the presidential preference primary and other March elections until May,” he said. “This will ensure an orderly and safe elections process and is in the best interest of Georgia’s citizens.”
The Democratic Party of Georgia, which has the only contested race on the ballot, also supports the move.
“Our priority is to protect the health and safety of all Georgians and to ensure that as many Georgians as possible have an opportunity to vote,” said State Senator Nikema Williams, the Chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Georgia. “Continued in-person voting could compromise both goals.”
Georgia is now the second state in the nation to postpone voting in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AJC reports. Louisiana on Friday pushed back its April 4 primary to June 20.
