Indiana’s 2020 primary election will move to June 2 in response to COVID-19 concerns.
Gov. Eric Holcomb, Secretary of State Connie Lawson and state party leaders announced the unprecedented change Friday.
Lawson says county clerks have reported trouble recruiting poll workers and concerns about health and safety logistics to hold Indiana’s primary election May 5. She says pushing the date back to June 2 will ensure the state holds a “safe, secure and fair election.”
As part of the shift, the Election Commission is expected to allow all Hoosiers to vote by mail without an excuse – though Lawson says some clerks are worried they don’t have the capacity for that.
“That’s one reason why we agreed to leave the in-person option,” Lawson says.
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Lawson says the state will still need poll workers June 2, and she hopes people out of work because of COVID-19 will get involved.
“I hope that we can recruit and pay them to work our elections,” Lawson says.
The Election Commission will make other changes next week to comply with the shift, like moving back the voter registration deadline. Lawson says she also hopes the commission will approve a way to apply online for a mail-in ballot.
Contact Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.
This is a rapidly evolving story, and we are working hard to bring you the most up-to-date information. However, we recommend checking the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Indiana State Department of Health for the most recent numbers of COVID-19 cases.