Pandemic Effects Start To Reverberate Across 2020 Battlegrounds, Re-Shaping Election In More Ways Than One
Political science experts say that the number of states in play in the 2020 presidential election is expanding amid the economic devastation of the pandemic. Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases are being linked with in-person voting in Wisconsin's primary, which may bolster the push for mail-in-voting.
Politico:
How The Coronavirus Crisis Is Remaking The Swing State Map
The economic and political impact of the coronavirus crisis is beginning to reverberate across the presidential battleground states, creating unforeseen red-state opportunities for Joe Biden but also offering promise for Donald Trump in several Democratic-leaning states where his prospects once seemed limited. Interviews with more than 30 political strategists, campaign advisers and officials in both parties paint a portrait of an expanded swing state electoral map, upended by the coronavirus pandemic and the economic dislocation it has caused. (Siders, 4/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Coronavirus Changes Trump Re-Election Calculus In Key States
Rising job losses, deaths and political tensions are putting new pressure on President Trump in key battleground states, creating uncertainty about his re-election prospects even as he projects an improved outlook on the coronavirus pandemic. While Mr. Trump’s national poll numbers hold steady and his base supporters remain loyal, the fast-moving virus could complicate his path in some of the states that delivered him to the White House in 2016, some fellow Republicans say. (Lucey and Leary, 4/22)
ABC News:
19 New Cases Of Coronavirus In Wisconsin Linked To Election Activities: State Health Officials
State health officials in Wisconsin said Tuesday that 19 people who have either voted in-person or worked at a polling site on election day have so far tested positive for COVID-19 after April 9, two days after the spring election, underscoring the risks of forging ahead with an in-person voting during the height of the widespread and deadly public health crisis. But a department spokesperson told ABC News that several of those people "reported other possible exposures as well." Officials are hesitant to link the new cases of the coronavirus directly to the election. (Karson, 4/21)
The Associated Press:
Officials: 7 Virus Cases May Be Related To In-Person Voting
Health officials in Wisconsin said they have identified at least seven people who may have contracted the coronavirus from participating in the April 7 election, the first such cases following in-person voting that was held despite widespread concern about the public health risks. The infections involve six voters and one poll worker in Milwaukee, where difficulty finding poll workers forced the city to pare nearly 200 voting locations back to just five, and where voters — some in masks, some with no protection — were forced to wait in long lines for hours. (Richmond, 4/22)
Reuters:
Seven Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Linked To Wisconsin's April Elections
The seven cases include six voters and one poll worker in Milwaukee, the state’s largest city, where nearly 200 voting locations were pared back to five and there were hours-long lines to cast ballots, the office of Milwaukee Health Commissioner Jeanette Kowalik confirmed. The number of election-related infections could grow as the 14-day incubation period ends on Wednesday, health officials said. (Becker, 4/21)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Lawsuit Seeks Another Georgia Primary Delay Amid Coronavirus
A federal lawsuit is seeking emergency changes to Georgia’s June 9 primary election — including another postponement and a switch to hand-marked paper ballots — because of the health risk from the coronavirus. The lawsuit, filed Monday by an election integrity group and five voters, said Georgia’s new voting touchscreens could spread the illness to voters at precincts. (Niesse, 4/21)
