April 16, 2020 •
Louisiana Further Postpones Primary Election until July 11
Gov. John Bel Edwards delayed Louisiana’s presidential primary a second time due to COVID-19.
The primary was originally scheduled for April 4. Edwards initially postponed the election until June 20 at the request of Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin.
Now the primary election has been pushed back an extra three weeks to July 11, making it one of the last states on the current primary calendar.
Ardoin also asked lawmakers to approve emergency procedures for the election. He sought to expand early voting from seven to 13 days.
Additionally, he wants to widen the availability of mail-in absentee ballots to people impacted by the virus.
With a 5-1 vote, the Senate and Governmental Affairs rejected an emergency certification that Ardoin needed to move ahead with the changes to polling places, early voting timelines, and absentee-by-mail voting eligibility.
The vote’s impact on the election is uncertain.
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