BALTIMORE _ Maryland will postpone its April 28 primary to June 2 because of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Larry Hogan ordered Tuesday.
The Republican governor is issuing a proclamation Tuesday to move the date of the primary, which includes the Baltimore mayor's race, U.S. House contests and the presidential primary.
"I have two main priorities _ keeping Marylanders safe and protecting their constitutional right to vote," Hogan said at a news conference in Annapolis.
Hogan will direct the State Board of Elections to develop a plan by April 3 to carry out the primary that addresses people's concerns about the election and preventing the further spread of the disease.
Meanwhile, a special election in the 7th Congressional District will be held using a vote-by-mail system. The election is to fill the seat of the late U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Democrat who represented parts of Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Howard County.
"Free and fair elections are the very foundation of American democracy and while there are many valid reasons for unease and uncertainty right now, ensuring that the voices of Maryland citizens are heard shouldn't be one of them," the governor said.
Maryland allows citizens to vote by absentee ballots without any justification, but the state has never tried a mail-only ballot system.
Hogan said the state elections board could not get mail-in ballots for the whole state prepared in time for April 28, but that it could be done for the one congressional district.
"It is imperative that the people of the 7th Congressional District have a voice in the House of Representatives and that Maryland has a full delegation representing our state in Congress," the governor said.
Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume is running against Republican Kimberly Klacik in the special general election in the 7th District. The winner will fill the rest of Cummings' term, which ends in January.
Candidates in Baltimore's crowded Democratic mayoral field responded positively to the change in plans, while acknowledging they'll have to modify their spending and strategies.
Former state Deputy Attorney General Thiru Vignarajah called the governor's decision "wise," noting that local leaders have a lot to focus on beyond politics.
Mayoral candidate T.J. Smith said he agreed with Hogan's decision to postpone the primary, even if it made his campaign a little more difficult.
"It does us no good if we have an election and people are marginalized through no fault of their own," he said. "This is probably the most prudent thing to do."
Smith said the announcement was not altogether unexpected. Smith and his campaign team made decisions for the last two weeks with the possibility of a postponement in mind, the former Baltimore Police Department spokesman said.
Mayoral candidate Mary Miller said the election "election is too important to rush the process. I applaud Governor Hogan for ensuring access to the ballot for all Maryland voters."
"Postponing the election will allow the governor and our state and local officials the time and resources needed to focus full-time on the response to COVID-19," said Miller, a former U.S. Treasury official.
Hogan previously declared a "state of emergency" in Maryland due to the coronavirus, which has 57 confirmed cases in the state. With that declaration in place, Maryland law allows the governor to issue a special proclamation to postpone elections and employ alternate voting systems. No legislative approval is necessary.
The timing of the coronavirus outbreak, recently classified as a pandemic, comes in the midst of a presidential election and has the potential to scuttle voting plans in states across the country that hold primaries that are later on the election calendar.
Hogan's announcement Tuesday made Maryland the fifth state to postpone its primary due to the virus. Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana and Ohio postponed their primaries in recent days, and the Wyoming Democratic Party suspended in-person participation in its April 4 caucus.
Arizona, Florida and Illinois went forward with their Tuesday primaries.
Maryland's primary also includes nominations for the offices of Baltimore City Council president, city comptroller and City Council member.
The U.S. House primaries include the 7th District, in which a field of candidates _ including Mfume, state Sen. Jill P. Carter and Cummings' widow, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings _ will seek the Democratic nomination for a full, two-year term.
The spread of the coronavirus pandemic had already dramatically changed the mayoral race. State Sen. Mary Washington suspended her campaign Monday to focus on helping residents through the crisis, while other campaigns have stopped knocking on doors, holding fundraisers and are asking all their staff to telework.
Pushing the election back several months further roiled an already a chaotic election season. For example, candidates have already spent money on literature advertising an April 28 primary.
"Every campaign right now is about to flood the printers," said Marvin James, spokesman for the mayoral campaign of Democratic City Council President Brandon Scott.
Smith said it was fortunate that he has not yet spent money on television ads, and few of his campaign materials, save some banners, have the former primary date on them.
"I think people are going to be smart enough to understand that April 28 now means June 2," he said. "I'm not terribly concerned about that."
Roger E. Hartley, dean of the University of Baltimore's College of Public Affairs, said the delay will be harder to weather for candidates running grassroots campaigns. They will be unable to keep getting their message out via canvassing and public forums.
The candidates with loaded coffers, who can spread their message to viewers' screens at home, could benefit from the extra time. Scott, Vignarajah, Miller and Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young are in this category.
"It's really going to advantage people who can raise money and continue to publicize their campaign," Hartley said.
Vignarajah declined to discuss specific changes to campaign strategy, but said his campaign is well-resourced.
"It's going to call for creativity and resources," he said. "We have both."
James said the Scott campaign will keep spreading its message and rolling out policy, albeit in virtual settings.
"We just have to now reallocate resources to extend our voter engagement until June," he said. The latest financial disclosure forms, from January, showed Scott with nearly $430,000 cash on hand.
The postponed primary also extends the time current elected officials in the race will be judged on their performance in the health crisis.
"If they can do a good job," Hartley said, "they may show leadership to the public, who will want to keep them around. But if it goes wrong, they will either legitimately or not legitimately get all the blame."
