Indiana Postpones Primary to June 2 in Response to Coronavirus

(Bloomberg) -- Indiana’s governor announced the state’s May 5 primary is being postponed until June 2 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Republican Governor Eric Holcomb said there’s “bipartisan agreement” to delay he primary. Holcomb had met with Indiana’s secretary of state and the state’s Republican and Democratic Party chairmen.

“The right of citizens to elect their leaders in a free and open election is one of the cornerstones of America,” Holcomb said in a statement on Twitter.

“In order to balance that right with the safety of county employees, poll workers and voters, delaying Indiana’s primary election is the right move as we continue to do all we can to protect Hoosiers’ health,” he said.

Indiana joins Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio and Connecticut, which have already pushed back presidential primary dates to late May or June. Wyoming has canceled the in-person part of its caucuses. More are likely to follow.

Holcomb suspended rules on absentee voting by mail to allow for mail-in voting in the upcoming primary. Rules were also amended to allow family members to deliver absentee ballots, as well as for medical professionals to gather the votes of nursing home and hospital patients.

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