Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) signed an executive order Friday pushing the state’s May 5 presidential primary to June 2, joining a growing group of governors who’ve postponed elections amid the coronavirus outbreak.
He said in the order that Secretary of State Connie Lawson had made known to him the “extreme difficulty” the state would face in holding the primary as scheduled while also complying with coronavirus guidance.
He, like many of his fellow governors, had already shuttered bars and restaurants in the state.
Indiana will now join the swelling rank of states that have pushed back their presidential primaries, including Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky, Connecticut, Louisiana and Georgia.
Indiana has 79 confirmed cases of coronavirus so far, according to the state Department of Health.
Postponing an election for four weeks without also making it vote-by-mail is worse than useless. It will force voters to go to the polls at the likely peak of the pandemic. This is garbage governing.
Per Indiana law (3 § 3-11-10-1), ballots can be mailed … but are you suggesting that no in-person voting be allowed whatsoever?
I did notice these bits in the governor’s order:
He talks about legislators from “both major political parties” giving their assent but, of course, the Democrats are vastly outnumbered in both chambers.
Indiana does not have no-excuse absentee voting, and voters have to proactively request absentee ballots if they want to vote by mail.
https://www.in.gov/sos/elections/2402.htm
ETA: And yes, I am suggesting that if they really want to postpone the election until the projected height of the pandemic, they should make it mail-only.
Yes.
But aside from that, where you and I obviously agree, I was curious to know whether you’re also suggesting that in-person voting be disallowed altogether (for this re-scheduled primary).
Yes.