Primary election won't be delayed, but will go all-absentee; link to my full story

Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney said this afternoon that the governor won't be delaying the May 19 primary election, but it'll go all-absentee due to the risk from coronavirus. “He is not going to delay it,” Denney told the Idaho Press. Denney said he anticipates a formal announcement probably on Wednesday. “We still have some things to iron out about exactly what we will be trying to do,” Denney said, “and I can tell you we’re going to push very, very hard for as much absentee as we can, so that we don’t have people having to be in contact with each other.”

There were legal impediments to delaying the election for a month, as Denney had requested. “Personally, I don’t think it’s legally impossible, but there was a question whether he had the authority to delay it or not,” Denney explained. “By not delaying it, it takes one more potential challenge off the table.”

Denney sent a request to Gov. Brad Little on Friday to delay the May 19 primary election at least until June 16, and to close all polling locations due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The delay was requested to give every registered voter an opportunity to request an absentee ballot. Denney said his request came after several meetings between his office and Idaho’s 44 county clerks to find alternatives to in-person voting for the May 19 primary election.

"The recommendations by federal, state, and local public health authorities to limit public interactions makes the use of traditional polling places on Election Day extremely hazardous if not logistically impossible," Denney said in his letter to Little. You can read my full story here at idahopress.com (subscription required), or pick up Tuesday's edition of the Idaho Press.