States Election Changes Update

The following States made changes to their Voting System in March 2020:

Alaska Democrats - Alaska Democrats extend Mail-In Voting Window and Cancels In-Person Voting and Extended the Postmark Deadline on Mailed-in-Ballots until April 10th. They had already Mailed those Forms to Every Member of the Party and this week made a Version available for Download from the Party Website.

Will use Ranked-Choice Voting to determine how many Delegates each Presidential Candidate gets.

Alaska Republicans - Will Convene: the April 2nd State Central Committee Meeting and the April State Convention Electronically from April 3rd to April 4th. The State Central Committee in its Meeting will Select a Slate of 29 Delegates to the National Convention. The 29 Delegates will likely All be bound to President Trump. Alaska Republicans earlier became Part of the Group of Republican States that Canceled Delegate Selection Events for the 2020 Cycle.

Connecticut - Scheduled Primary on April 28th have shifted back Five weeks to ideally avoid the overlap of peak Coronavirus Spread and In-Person Primary Election Voting.

Delaware - Scheduled Primary on April 28th have shifted back Five weeks to ideally avoid the overlap of peak Coronavirus Spread and In-Person Primary Election Voting.

Georgia - A Collection of Third-Party Candidates asked a Federal Judge Thursday to Reduce the Number of Signatures required to win a spot on the November Ballot, arguing the Absence of People in Public Places makes it "virtually impossible" to Circulate Petitions. In a Lawsuit, they asked the Court to keep the Deadlines the same but Trim the Signature Thresholds to a Number Prorated to the Date this Spring or Summer when the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Rescinds the Guidance recommending Social Distancing.

Hawaii Democrats - had Planned for most of their Primary to be by Mail, but this week they Scrapped Plans for 21 Polling Sites across the Archipelago. They also Mailed out Ballots to All Registered Voters for a Third Time and Delayed the Deadline to Register to Vote until Primary Day, April 4th.

Indiana Elections Commission - On March 25th Voted to Allow for No-Excuse Absentee Voting in the now June 2nd Primary. While Indiana allows Absentee Voting, it has been Allowed only with an Excuse. Voters will still have to File a Request for an Absentee Ballot by May 21st, 12 days before the Primary. Efficient Processing Absentee Requests will hinge on whether the County Election Board is Open. But Voters will have until Noon on June 2nd to get their Ballots in to the County to be Counted. At this time, Early and In-Person Voting are still Planned for the June 2nd Indiana Primary, but the State Elections Commission will have another Meeting on April 22nd to Decide whether the Election should shift to a Completely Vote-by-Mail Process.

Maryland - Scheduled Primary on April 28th have shifted back Five weeks to ideally avoid the overlap of peak Coronavirus Spread and In-Person Primary Election Voting.

Nebraska joined the Ranks of States turning toward Absentee Vote-by-Mail as a Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic's impact on the Electoral Process.

On Thursday, March 26th, Nebraska Secretary of State, Bob Evnen (R), announced that the State, through the Secretary of State's Office, or County Elections Officials would Mail Out to Every Voter in the State an Application for an Absentee Ballot for the May 12th Primary. In-Person Early Voting, April 13th-May 11th, and In-Person Election Day Voting remain in place, but All Nebraska Voters will have the Capacity to Vote-by-Mail if they so choose in order to Avoid the further Spread of the Coronavirus.

Once Applications are Distributed, Voters will then have until May 1st to Request an Absentee Ballot. Although the Application will be a Hard Copy that requires a Physical Signature, Voters have the Option of Signing Them and then either taking a Picture of the Form or Scanning it, before Returning it via Email or Fax. Mail and Physical Drop Offs at the County Offices are other Options available to Voters to Submit their Applications.

Requested Ballots will begin being Mailed out to Voters on April 6th. Voters will then have until Election Day, May 12th at 8pm when Polls Close, to have Mail-In Ballots Returned to County Elections Administrators. The Postmark of any Mail-In Ballot is Immaterial. The Ballot has to Physically be into the County Offices by the Close of the Polls on Election Day.

Ohio Legislature - Unanimously Passes (The Omnibus Bill-HB 197) to Transition to Absentee Vote-By-Mail in the Presidential Primary and Extending Mail-In Primary Voting until April 28th. The Bill is set to take Effect Immediately upon Governor DeWine's (R) Signature.

In Absentee Voting-by-Mail, the Only Exception is those Voters with Disabilities, who cannot Receive Mail at their Address or have some Other Need for Accommodations/In-Person Voting. Voters who Cast Ballots either Early or Absentee ahead of the March 17th primary will have their Votes Counted. That Total comes to 523,522 Early or Absentee Votes with another 66,723 Requested Absentee Ballots outstanding. That latter Group can still Submit their Ballots and have them Counted. All Voters who Registered to Vote before February 18th, 2020 and who did Not Vote Early or Absentee can Request a New Absentee Ballot.

All Registered Ohio Voters will Receive a Postcard from the Secretary of State informing them of the ways in which they can Participate. Any Voter who Registered after February 18th is Ineligible to Participate. Voters can Request an Absentee Ballot by Printing their Own Copy or by Contacting their County Board of Elections. Voters will be Required to Pay Postage to Return those Absentee Requests. Should those Requests be deemed Valid by County Elections Administrators, then Valid Application Voters will be sent an Absentee Ballot with Pre-Paid Postage for Returning it. The Deadline for Returning Ballots is April 28th, 2020, but if the Ballot is Postmarked by April 27th, then they will be Accepted until May 8th, 2020.

The Office of the Secretary of State estimates that Postcard Notifications will be Delivered sometime during the Second Week of April meaning that Voters prompted by the Postcards will have between 16-22 days to Print-Off an Absentee Request, Mail it to the County Board of Elections, with Voter-Paid Postage, wait for the Absentee Ballot to Arrive by Mail, and Return the Completed Ballot Postmarked by April 27th. That is a lot to ask of Voters, a lot of Changes to throw at them, in such a Short Period of Time.

Pennsylvania - Lawmakers Unanimously Approved a Bill Postponing the State's Primary Election, originally scheduled for April 28th, to June 2nd. With 186 Democratic Delegates up for grabs, it is the Second Biggest State, after New York, that hasn't had a Primary yet.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (D) on Friday, March 27th, Signed into Law several Measures intended to better position the State to Respond to the Coronavirus Outbreak.

Rhode Island - Scheduled Primary on April 28th have shifted back Five weeks to ideally avoid the overlap of peak Coronavirus Spread and In-Person Primary Election Voting.

Utah - On March 26th, Revised some Rules for Petitions for Candidates. Copies of Blank Petition Forms can now be sent Electronically from Campaigns to Individuals who want to Sign, and the Signer can then E-Mail or Postal Mail, the Signature back to the Campaign. There is No more need to have the Circulator Sign Petitions at the Bottom.

West Virginia - Every Registered Voter will Receive an Application in Early April for Voting Absentee in the May 12th Primary. Secretary of State, Mac Warner (R), announced Thursday the State would Cover the Counties' Mailing Costs but that Forwarding a Mail-in-Ballot Automatically would go Against State Law.

This "encourages voters to participate in the election in the safest manner possible without having to leave their house," he said. "Your ballot box is as close as your mailbox."

After that Voters have to fill out the Application, Return it via Voter-Paid Postage to the County Board and await the Ballot's Arrival. It is unclear whether Voters can continue to use the Online Application that can be Returned to the County Board via Email or Fax and Avoid Paying Postage with the Mailed Form. Regardless of the Method, Voters have until May 6th to Submit their Applications for an Absentee Ballot.

Once Received, the Ballot may be Filled Out and must be Returned, Postmarked by May 12th, Primary Election Day, to be Counted. That means that Results will likely be Slower in coming in until after Election Day.

Wisconsin - The State's Requirement that an Adult Witness must Sign All Mail-In Ballots Violates the Constitutional Rights and Health of as many as 250,000 Older Voters who are Avoiding others because of their High Risk of Covid-19 Infection, the League of Women Voters argued Thursday in a Lawsuit.

In a separate Claim later in the day, Groups Representing Black and Hispanic Voters and Union Members Sued to Delay the Primary until Gov. Tony Evers (D) Lifts his Emergency Order Closing most Businesses and Schools and Requiring most People to Stay at Home. They argued it is "functionally impossible" for Election Officials to both Comply with those Orders and Follow the Rules for Running an Election. They are the Third and Fourth Cases brought against Wisconsin Election Officials in the past week.

The Signature Suit, filed on behalf of Four Elderly Women who Live Alone, asks a Judge to Suspend the Rule for Absentee Ballots in the Primary. It is going Ahead on Schedule in part because, in addition to the Presidential Contest, the Ballot also includes Races for a State Supreme Court Seat, and some Other State and Local Posts that will otherwise become Vacant next month.

As of Friday, Six Days from the Deadline, nearly 800,000 Absentee Ballot Requests had been Received, meaning the Share of Remote Votes is on course to Set a Record in the State.

U.S. District Judge, William Griesbach, says he will Rule next Monday on an Effort by Green Bay to get the Primary Postponed until June 2nd. The City Sued Tuesday, claiming that the Health of Poll Workers, City Employees, and Voters would be put at Risk unless the Election is Delayed for Eight Weeks. In Response to a Lawsuit filed by the State and National Democratic Party, a Federal Judge recently Ruled Wisconsin must Extend Online Registration by a Dozen Days, until Monday.

Wyoming - The Caucuses in being Conducted entirely Remotely, among the latest Wave of Changes in the World of Elections during a Historic Public Health Emergency. While several States moved to make Voting Easier, Wisconsin pressed ahead with Plans for a Traditional Primary April 7th and has now been Confronted by Four Federal Lawsuits hoping to Force Changes.

Wyoming Democrats had Dropped the caucus-in-Person Option a few weeks ago. This week they Reopened, until Wednesday, the Period for Requesting a Ballot in the Mail, and Postponed the Deadline for getting them back to April 17th.

Fourteen States and One Territory have Changed State-Level Primary or General Election Dates. Six States changed Municipal Election Dates on a Statewide Basis. Five States Adjusted their Candidate Filing Procedures. Eleven States Implemented Changes to their Voting Procedures. Political Parties in Nine States made Changes to Party Events on a Statewide Basis.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker