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Welcome to the Thursday, March 26, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Delaware becomes the latest state to postpone elections in response to coronavirus outbreak
- Local Roundup
- The latest news from the presidential race
Updates on stories related to the coronavirus outbreak are current through Wednesday afternoon. Click here for the latest news.
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Delaware becomes the latest state to postpone elections in response to coronavirus outbreak
States continue to postpone primary elections due to the coronavirus outbreak. On Tuesday, Governor John Carney (D) postponed Delaware's presidential preference primary from April 28 to June 2. Delaware became the latest state to enact changes to its elections this month. To date, 10 states and one territory have postponed statewide primary elections.
- Alaska: In-person voting in Democratic presidential preference primary canceled; vote-by-mail deadline extended to April 10
- Connecticut: Presidential preference primary postponed to June 2
- Delaware: Presidential preference primary postponed to June 2
- Georgia: Presidential preference primary postponed to May 19
- Indiana: Statewide primary postponed to June 2
- Kentucky: Statewide primary postponed to June 23
- Louisiana: Presidential preference primary postponed to June 20
- Maryland: Statewide primary postponed to June 2
- Ohio: In-person statewide primary voting postponed to June 2
- Puerto Rico: Democratic presidential preference primary postponed to April 26
- Rhode Island: Presidential preference primary postponed to June 2
Another four states have postponed primary runoffs in congressional contests:
- Alabama: Primary runoff elections postponed to July 14
- Mississippi: Republican primary runoff election for the state's 2nd Congressional District postponed to June 23
- North Carolina: Republican primary runoff for North Carolina's 11th Congressional District postponed to June 23
- Texas: Primary runoff elections postponed to July 14
Wisconsin is holding its statewide primary and spring general election April 7. Gov. Tony Evers (D) has encouraged voters to use mail-in ballots. The city of Green Bay filed a lawsuit Wednesday asking a federal court to cancel in-person voting for the election and permit it to send absentee ballots to all voters.
Additionally, here are some other notable coronavirus-related updates since Wednesday's Brew:
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that they had reached an agreement on a third coronavirus relief package.
- Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske (R) announced plans to conduct all voting in the state's June 9 primary election by mail.
- The Alaska Supreme Court suspended all trial court proceedings and civil marriage ceremonies through May 1, except priority hearings. The court further ordered that all civil and criminal proceedings be held via telephone or video conference.
- The Florida Supreme Court extended their March 13 order suspending all face-to-face legal proceedings in the state through April 17
- Maryland State Superintendent Karen Salmon announced that the statewide school closure, scheduled to end March 27, was extended through April 24.
- South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) announced that the statewide school closure, scheduled to end March 30, was extended to April 30.
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Local roundup
Tens of thousands of local government entities are responding to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Many local offices and services have been limited or closed in the past couple of weeks. Thanks to our wonderful community of readers, we’ve been compiling reports of how local governments are responding to this evolving situation. We are so grateful to our readers who have taken the time to send us stories.
This coverage is powered directly by Ballotpedia's community of readers. We are asking for your help in compiling how local governments are responding to this evolving situation. Below is a selection of the responses we’ve gotten so far.
- In Lansing, Michigan, Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth released some inmates early from Ingham and Clinton county jails.
- In Elkhart County, Indiana, the Elkhart County Board of Commissioners issued a travel advisory for the county which discouraged routine travel or activity.
- In Madison, Wisconsin, the Public Health Office Of Madison & Dane County prohibited mass gatherings of 250 or more people.
Have an example from your town? As I'm sure you know, the situation with coronavirus is ever-evolving and things change daily. It's tough to keep up! At Ballotpedia, we're trying to follow all of the state and local developments, which can be a challenge when things move so quickly. This includes state and local school closings, shelter-in-place orders, and other state and local government actions. We want our readers to learn about not only what's going on in their town, but in towns across the country. In addition, we're trying to capture all of these actions for the historical record. Is this something you can help us with? Send a report my way by replying to this email, or fill out the form here.
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The latest news from the presidential race
It feels like the coronavirus outbreak has pressed ‘pause’ on the 2020 election season, especially the presidential race. So, in case you haven’t had a chance to stay up to date, here’s a quick rundown of where the presidential race stands. To stay on top of all the news on the presidential race, you’ll want to subscribe to our Daily Presidential News Briefing newsletter. It provides a curated news summary each weekday—and it’s free! Click here to subscribe and start receiving it in your email each morning.
- With his win in Florida's primary May 17, President Donald Trump crossed the delegate threshold necessary to clinch the Republican nomination.
- Bernie Sanders won the Democrats Abroad primary, according to official vote totals released Monday. The primary was conducted March 3-10 and was open to all U.S. citizens living abroad who did not vote in a state or territorial primary. Sanders won 58% of the vote and was allocated nine delegates. Joe Biden won 22% and the remaining four delegates.
- The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the largest public-sector union nationwide, endorsed Biden on Monday. Biden also said he would begin vetting at least six potential vice presidential nominees in the coming weeks.
- Sanders' campaign said he would participate in a Democratic presidential debate in April if it is scheduled. Biden said Wednesday that he was focusing on the coronavirus outbreak and thought there had already been enough debates. The next debate will be the twelfth and final Democratic presidential primary debate of the year.
The chart below shows the current allocation of pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention based on primary results to date. To win the nomination, a presidential candidate must receive support from a majority of pledged delegates—1,991—on the first ballot:
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