Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has announced that all 6.9 million registered voters in the state will be mailed absentee ballot applications in response to COVID-19.
In a release sent out this week, Raffensperger said this is a temporary measure that applies only to the now-delayed May 19 primaries. Voters aged 65 and older and those with disabilities can apply to vote absentee through the primary and general elections and any runoffs during the 2020 election cycle.
(Cobb Elections also said this week it’s mailing absentee requests to all voters 60 and older, and that the first absentee ballots are expected to be mailed out as soon as April 4.)
A few more items to note from the Secretary of State’s release:
Poll workers will receive additional resources to clean the equipment regularly. In-person voters who show up to vote in person will be instructed to maintain a safe distance when waiting to vote.
These measures will protect poll workers as well. Understanding the extra risk Georgia’s generally elderly poll workers face, Raffensperger is working to help counties hire more and younger poll workers. Extra staff will allow those who feel sick to be absent from the polls without significantly impacting continuity while a younger pool of workers will increase resiliency in the face of the COVID-19 threat.
On Friday, Georgia House Speaker David Ralston sent a letter to Raffensperger asking him to delay the primaries again, to a month or more, as the state grapples with a rising caseload of COVID-19 cases.
But Raffensperger has said the primary, which was to have taken place on Tuesday, will go on as rescheduled for May 19.
As of noon Saturday, Georgia had 2,366 confirmed positive tests and 69 deaths, with 617 hospitalizations.
Cobb County has 181 cases, and its death toll rose from five earlier this week to eight.
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