Editorial: Pennsylvania primary and coronavirus
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Pennsylvania was so close to mattering in the presidential primary this year.
Things were tight on the Democratic side nationwide, and maybe the Keystone State would be key in making a choice between putting former Vice President Joe Biden or Sen. Bernie Sanders on the ballot for the fall.
And then coronavirus happened.
The 2020 presidential race had been the story that eclipsed everything for years, worming its way into all other issues, but it seemed to have met its match in the global pandemic. It seemed to do what nothing else could, quickly whittling the remains of the crowded pool of candidates to just two.
But as one of the last plump delegate prizes, maybe Pennsylvania would still be a factor come April 28. Maybe. Maybe?
Nope.
Yes, both Biden and Sanders have receded into the background while President Trump and his coronavirus task force — as well as governors like New York’s Andrew Cuomo — have daily press conferences to update America on the constantly evolving pandemic response.
But there is also the reality that bringing 8.5 million registered voters out to stand in line, talk to each other and touch communal equipment goes against everything Gov. Tom Wolf is asking Pennsylvanians to do.
The state House of Representatives took the first step toward moving the primary to June 2 — ironically even later than the mid-May poll day we have in a nonpresidential year. The bill would also give counties the ability to make other changes to polling places to protect at-risk communities. The Senate approved the bill Wednesday and the governor has indicated that he will sign it.
The state should do whatever it must to ensure the simultaneous protection of residents’ lives and votes.
We have time to make other plans and communicate them properly, unlike the collision of time and events that happened in neighboring Ohio, where the governor and the courts came to blows over a last-minute primary cancellation last week.
And if we can find a way to safely, securely move the date and ensure Pennsylvanians can still cast ballots, it might do what recent elections haven’t. It might give us a confidence in how and why we vote that low voter turnouts show us we sorely need.