Pennsylvania eyes later primary as coronavirus outbreak continues

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania is confirming another big increase in coronavirus cases Sunday as lawmakers are drafting legislation to delay the state’s April 28 primary election and relax rules around how mail-in ballots can be processed in advance of polls closing.

Pennsylvania House State Government Committee Chairman Garth Everett, R-Lycoming, said Sunday that legislation is being drafted to delay the state’s primary from April 28 to June 2.

Everett said he hopes to get the legislation out of his committee on Monday and through the Republican-controlled chamber this coming week, to send it to the Senate.

Everett said he believes support for it is bipartisan, with overwhelming backing from counties and county election directors.

“We want to get ahead of the game, rather than the Ohio example, where we pull the trigger at the last minute and scramble around,” Everett said. “We want to do it in organized fashion.”

With the virus spreading and Wolf asking residents to stay in their homes, election directors don’t see how they can get ballots printed and poll workers hired and trained to conduct a primary on April 28, Everett said.

Pennsylvania’s five-month-old mail-in ballot law lets any voter cast a ballot by mail. But Everett said usage of mail-in ballots will far exceed earlier projections of 20% because of the coronavirus.

To help county election directors process the crush of mail-in ballots, Everett said he wants the legislation to allow them to process the ballots in advance, to verify that the ballot is valid, and then start counting them at 8 a.m. on Election Day.

Wolf, a Democrat, has said that he is working with lawmakers on it, but has not said exactly what sort of changes he will support.