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In a bill signed by Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday March 27, the Pennsylvania primary, originally scheduled for April 28, is now postponed to June 2, amidst Coronavirus concerns. Many states are initiating primary postponements in adherence to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines on limited social gatherings. Besides Pennsylvania, 11 states will be participating in the June 2 election, including Washington D.C. The Philadelphia Inquirer calls the date, “the Super Tuesday of postponed primaries.”
The new primary is 5 weeks past the original. This should allot adequate time for polling locations and election officials to prepare. Polling places will have the time necessary to gather high-demand sanitation materials, such as plastic gloves and hand sanitizers. Additionally, voters who wish to complete mail-in ballots will obtain plenty of time to register.
In states where primary dates were not shifted, voter turnout was immensely mixed and impacted due to the pandemic; Illinois, Arizona and Florida are amongst those. There was a deep fall in votes at the Illinois primary, but an increase of mail-in ballots in Arizona and Florida. In PA, mail-in ballots are now open to all voters, no absentee excuse is necessary.
Voting by mail may be the best option for elderly voters in an effort to avoid exposure to COVID-19. For many others, a Muhlenberg College professor of political science hopes that because of the new date, Pennsylvanians will feel safer at their respective polling locations. Shifting the election day until June can also provide communities something to look forward to, and hoping that, by then, the infamous curve will be flattened, even slightly.
As a result of the shift, the Democratic presidential candidates seek more time in building up their virtual campaigns to secure a plethora of delegates. Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign will continue to manage their virtual press briefings, fundraisers and TV appearances. The Sanders campaign team expects to do the same. The June 2 primary is second to Super Tuesday with an exceeding number of delegates to be acquired. As far as campaigns, this is not beneficial to Senator Sanders, when thinking of Biden’s extreme lead on Super Tuesday.
Now, what are the new voting deadlines? Tuesday, May 26 by 5 p.m. is the deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot, online or paper. Ballots will be due by 8 p.m. on June 2. If you aren’t yet registered to vote in your county, you must do so by May 19, 15 days prior to election day. Go to pavoterservices.pa.gov to register! There, you will also be able to download mail-in and absentee ballot applications, as well as search your polling location.
Madison Starinieri is a third-year English writings BSEd and special education major. MS882527@wcupa.edu