On March 17, Maryland said it is changing the date of its primaries from April 28 to June 2. That includes the presidential primary and the primary for all other partisan office. See this story. Thanks to Political Wire for the link.
Reply
This Chicago Tribune article says voting turnout (as of mid-morning) is very low. Many polling places had to be moved at the last minute, and 10% of election day officials didn’t show up for work. Hand sanitizers are available at polling places.
The Constitution Party national presidential convention is scheduled for St. Louis, April 29-May 2. But the city has banned public gatherings larger than 50 people. The national executive committee of the party will discuss how to proceed, at a meeting next week.
On the evening of March 16, Ohio state officials said polling places would not open on March 17, which is Ohio’s primary day for president and all other partisan office. However, elections are proceeding on March 17 in Arizona, Florida, and Illinois. Officials in those states say if the primaries were postponed on March 17, it might be even more difficult to hold them in April, May, or June. The major party national conventions are in July and August.
The Ohio Supreme Court made the Ohio action possible. Here is the one-page order in State ex rel Speweik v Wood County, 2020-0382, issued early on March 17.
The petition deadline in Ohio for non-presidential independent candidates is primary day. This deadline already was constitutionally shaky, because the petition deadline for newly-qualifying parties is not until July of election years (regardless of the date of the primary, which varies from March in presidential years to May in other years). If the primary is not being held on March 17, it seems to follow logically that the petition deadline is not on March 17 either. UPDATE: the Secretary of State says the new primary day is June 2. See his website here.
On March 16, the Minnesota Green, Independence, and Libertarian Parties jointly sent letters to the Governor and Secretary of State, asking that petitioning requirements for the general election be suspended or repealed. There are bills pending in the legislature that would eliminate such petitions for parties that had polled 1% for any statewide office in the last election anyway. Thanks to John Andrews for this news.