Election Changes
Please bookmark our statewide 2020 primary calendar and our calendar of key downballot races, both of which we're updating continually as changes are finalized.
• Florida: An organization representing local election officials has asked Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to relax a number of laws so that they can more easily carry out the state's Aug. 18 downballot primaries and the November general election. Most notably, officials are asking that the number of days allowed for early voting be expanded and that they be allowed to open more early voting locations. In their letter, they also tell DeSantis that the state "is not in a position, at this time, to conduct an all-mail ballot election this year."
• Maine: Democratic Gov. Janet Mills says it is "not going to be possible" to conduct Maine's downballot primaries as planned on June 9 and says she's "anticipating holding the election on July 14." Mills has the power to unilaterally postpone the election under a new law passed by legislators last month. After Mills delivered her remarks at a Tuesday press conference, Democratic Secretary of State Matt Dunlap said he would prefer to conduct the primary entirely by mail.
• Minnesota: Democratic Secretary of State Steve Simon has introduced legislation under which every Minnesota voter would automatically receive a mail-in ballot for the state's Aug. 11 downballot primaries and the November general election. Voters would be required to have someone witness their ballots.
Republicans immediately expressed their opposition, with state Rep. Jim Nash claiming the bill would "provide for a lot of electioneering" and "open the door for election fraud." (To "electioneer" means "to take an active part in an election," so it's not clear why Nash objects to that.) Democrats control the state House and governorship but Republicans have a narrow majority in the state Senate.
• New Jersey: Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has postponed New Jersey's presidential and downballot primaries from June 2 to July 7. Murphy says that he wants to "preserve the possibility that improvements in the public health situation will allow for in-person voting" but adds that if the state has to conduct the primary entirely by mail, "this extra time will make that task easier."
• New York: Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced that all voters will be able to cast absentee ballots in New York's June 23 presidential and downballot primaries. New York is one of a number of states that ordinarily requires voters to have an excuse in order to vote absentee.
• Utah: Utah's Republican-led legislature will consider whether to delay the state's downballot primaries from June 30 to Aug. 4 when it likely convenes next week in a special session that will be held entirely online. Lawmakers may also extend or eliminate the April 13 deadline for candidates to gather signatures in order to appear on the primary ballot.
• Virginia: Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam has delayed Virginia's June 9 downballot primaries until June 23, using executive powers that allow him to postpone elections for up to two weeks. Northam has also asked the legislature to pass legislation consolidating the state's May 5 municipal elections with the November general election. Separately, Democratic lawmakers are also considering whether to move to all-mail elections.