Voting & Elections

The major disruptions to yesterday's elections caused by COVID-19 hammered home the need to retrench and take steps now to safeguard our democracy. To protect the safety of all voters and the integrity of our elections, Common Cause is now calling for a delay of any in-person voting for at least the next few weeks. The COVID-19 crisis is reshaping many of our day-to-day lives in ways we weren’t expecting, including disrupting elections, but now is the time to act to ensure our primaries and general election are held this year and conducted in a safe, fair, and orderly manner.

In all three states that voted, some polling places were moved or closed because of a lack of workers, shortages of cleaning supplies, or to relocate polls from senior centers. “It made for a day at the polls really not like any we’ve seen before,” said David Vance, spokesman for the voting rights group Common Cause.

In Florida, Palm Beach County had some of the worst disruptions in the state, said Liza McClenaghan of Common Cause Florida: By midmorning, some polling places had not opened, some opened late and some were understaffed.

Karen Hobert Flynn, president of Common Cause, said the challenges in the primaries will give election officials an opportunity to find remedies such as allowing more mail-in voting by the November election. “Today we’re faced with a challenge unlike anything we’ve seen in our 50 years of advocacy, a global pandemic where all 50 states have now declared a state of emergency,” she said.

Common Cause, a citizens advocacy group, said states should do what is necessary to protect individuals, as long as the primaries are held in a timely manner and actions are taken to make sure the November elections are held without a hitch. "The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented challenge to our elections, but those elections can and must be held this year," said Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn. "Americans expect and deserve to have their say at the polls to choose their representatives and to hold their elected officials accountable."

“These are unusual restrictions,” Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York, said of recommended federal limits to try and control the spread of the virus. Her group is urging the delay of that state’s 2020 presidential primary from April 28 to June 23, when congressional and legislative primaries are already scheduled. “Normally, we do not support postponing elections, but these are extraordinary circumstances,” Lerner said.