Reschedule June Primary And Move To Absentee Voting Now

Because of the ongoing spread of the coronavirus — and the steps being taken by Maine residents and government to slow that spread — Gov. Janet Mills said Tuesday that it was “not going to be possible” to hold the state’s primary election in June. The governor said she was looking at July 14 as the date for rescheduled voting. Maine would join a group of 16 states that have delayed primaries because of the virus, according to The New York Times. In addition to rescheduling the primary, Mills said election officials were “taking every measure to minimize in-person contact for the purposes of handling that election and making sure people’s democratic right to vote, their very precious right to vote, is not impinged.” That includes encouraging the use of absentee ballots “to the highest level possible” and minimizing in-person voting, the governor said in response to a reporter’s question. This is a smart move and the additional time could avert a situation like the mess that unfolded in Wisconsin on Tuesday, where voters cast ballots in the Democratic presidential primary and state and local races. The situation in Wisconsin should prompt Mills to quickly finalize details of the primary so that the Secretary of State’s Office and municipal clerks, who will still be responsible for sending out and collecting ballots, can plan for a changed election. Moving to an all absentee voting system would also be prudent given the uncertainty about how long protective measures, such as stay-at-home orders and municipal office closures, will last.