Georgia becomes second state to postpone primary over coronavirus

Georgia followed in Louisiana's footsteps Saturday, becoming the second state to postpone its presidential primary voting scheduled for next week over fears of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. In-person early voting was halted, and the election has been pushed until May 19 when the state is holding primaries for several other offices, including a U.S. Senate seat.

One of the main concerns of Georgia officials was the health and safety of the state's poll workers, who tend to be older and are therefore presumably at greater risk from the virus. "Events are moving rapidly and my highest priority is protecting the health of our poll workers, and the community at large," Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement Saturday.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) declared a public health emergency in the state Saturday and in a speech called for people to avoid large gatherings. Georgia has 66 confirmed cases of COVID-19, mostly concentrated in the Atlanta area, and one death. Read more at The Guardian and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up