Georgia Primary Election Delayed Until June

June 9 is the new date for Georgia’s 2020 primary election. Hopefully it can be written in ink now instead of pencil.

Previously set for May 19, the primary was delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis. It is the second postponement for Georgia’s presidential primary. That vote was initially set for March 24 before being delayed until May 19 and now until June.

In is an unprecedented move for the state’s presidential primary to be delayed a second time. Initially Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said he lacked the authority for another delay but then was able to do so after Governor Brian Kemp extended the state’s public heath state of emergency.

Georgia is one of 16 states which has delayed its presidential primaries. While there will still be a presidential primary there is little drama left. President Trump will face Joe Biden in the general election this November.

Ironically there will still be 12 Democratic candidates on Georgia’s presidential primary ballot even though Biden is the only one still officially in the race. Vermont senator Bernie Sanders officially ended his campaign last week.

President Trump was the lone Republican on Georgia’s presidential primary ballot. State leaders refused to allow any opposition to be on the GOP ballot against the President.

It has been a year of unprecedented events in our country and those events have trickled into our election process. Even during times of war voting has gone on as scheduled and that even includes during the Civil War.

Many may remember the 2000 presidential election which was so close hinged on servicemen and servicewomen and their ballots arriving back from overseas.

While election officials are still encouraging people to vote by mail, in-person voting locations must remain open, according to state law. Absentee ballot request forms were already mailed to Georgia’s 6.9 million active voters, encouraging them to vote but stay home.

Most state Republicans and Democrats supported the move to reschedule the election, but Raffensperger still drew criticism. House Speaker David Ralston said Raffensperger should have changed the election date sooner and avoided spending federal election money to send absentee ballot request forms to voters. The Secretary of State countered that at the time he did not have the legal authority to do so.

Another issue which led to delaying the May 19 primary date was finding people to serve as poll workers. Poll workers, whose average age is more than 70, were dropping out because they’re at a higher risk during the coronavirus pandemic.

Another problem centered on churches and assisted living centers that usually serve as voting locations telling election officials they were unwilling to do so this time.

There are several important races in the June 9 primary in Georgia. While the presidential primary is merely symbolic now, determining the party nominations for several offices is still a vital task.

Several Democrats are battling to challenge Republican incumbent David Perdue for the U.S. Senate. Libertarian Shane Hazel will also on the general election ballot.

Locally there is a Democratic primary contest for the right to face Jody Hice in the 10th Congressional District.

As always, local races are just as important this year, maybe more so. Local elected officials certainly have a direct impact on our lives and our wallets whether they county commissioners, city council members or school board members. Study these races very carefully before voting.

Key dates for the upcoming elections include:

May 11: Voter registration deadline for primary election

May 18: In-person early voting begins for primary election

June 9: Election day for presidential and general primary

Aug. 11: Primary election runoff

Oct. 5: Voter registration deadline for general election

Oct. 12: In-person early voting begins for general election

Nov. 3: Election Day

Dec. 1: Runoff for state and local races

Jan. 5, 2021: Runoff for federal races

Monticello native Chris Bridges has been a community newspaper journalist for three decades. You can email comments about this column to pchrisbridges@gmail.com.