RNC Gives North Carolina Deadline To Accept Proposed Safety Measures For National Convention
Their list of suggested safety measures included health questionnaires for attendees, thermal scans before boarding “sanitized” prearranged transportation, widely available hand sanitizer, and a requirement that attendees pass a health screening before entering the event. Tensions have been rising between the Republican Party and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper over whether the convention can go on as normal.
The New York Times:
Fight Over G.O.P. Convention Escalates In North Carolina
Republicans planning their party’s convention on Thursday gave North Carolina’s governor a deadline of June 3 to approve safety measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus during the event, planned for Charlotte in August. The move came as President Trump pressures Democratic leaders in the state to allow him to hold the kind of convention he wants, and as they cite public health concerns and say it is too soon to make a determination. The Republican National Committee chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel, and the president of the convention committee, Marcia Lee Kelly, laid out the deadline in a joint letter to Gov. Roy Cooper. (Haberman, 5/28)
The Hill:
RNC Chairwoman Proposes Convention Safety Protocols Amid Feud With NC Governor
The Republican National Committee sent a letter to North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) on Thursday outlining safety protocols the party is ready to adopt so it can hold a full in-person national convention in Charlotte this August. The letter comes amid a standoff between Cooper, who has not committed to allowing a full in-person convention, and President Trump, who has threatened to pull the convention out of North Carolina and take it elsewhere if there are restrictions imposed on attendance due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Easley, 5/28)
The Wall Street Journal:
Republicans Propose Coronavirus Safety Protocols For Party Convention In North Carolina
Republican National Convention attendees would be given health surveys before traveling to North Carolina for President Trump’s nomination, and some would be subjected to thermal scans before boarding sanitized buses, the RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said Thursday. Those are some of the Covid-19 safety protocols that Ms. McDaniel suggested to North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, as the two sides tussle over how to proceed with the party’s convention scheduled for late August. In a letter sent to Mr. Cooper and Republican National Committee members, Ms. McDaniel and Marcia Lee Kelly, the convention’s chief executive, sought the governor’s approval for a list of eight measures that Republicans would take to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus. (Bender, 5/28)
Politico:
RNC Outlines Safety Protocols For August Convention In Letter To N.C. Gov. Cooper
“The people who will visit the Charlotte region during the Convention, as well as the businesses and workers who will benefit are looking to you to set the rules and requirements for the RNC to hold a safe, secure event,” the letter reads. “We still do not have solid guidelines from the State and cannot in good faith, ask thousands of visitors to begin paying deposits and making travel plans without knowing the full commitment of the Governor, elected officials and other stakeholders in supporting the convention.” (King, 5/28)
The Washington Post:
Republicans Pressure North Carolina Officials To Confirm August Convention By Wednesday
The [RNC] letter did not address some basic safety concerns, omitting, for example, whether attendees would be required to wear masks or take a coronavirus test before entering the Spectrum Arena where the convention would be held. Federal health authorities have strongly recommended the use of masks for any gatherings in which attendees cannot properly distance themselves — which would be the case in a convention drawing thousands of delegates and others. (Dawsey and Linskey, 5/28)
In other news on the elections —
Politico:
Trump Embraces A New Kind Of Rally: The ‘Trumptilla’
President Trump can’t hold his large energetic rallies because of coronavirus. But his campaign has discovered the next best thing: massive pro-Trump flotillas that are taking his message to waterways across the country. The large boat parades — which began organically among MAGA devotees in South Florida and spread to Florida’s Gulf Coast, Arizona’s Lake Havasu, South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor and Southern California’s Newport Harbor during Memorial Day weekend — quickly caught the notice of the president and his campaign. (Caputo, 5/29)
NPR:
Texas Says Coronavirus Is Not A Good Enough Reason To Vote By Mail
In an effort to keep voters safe, states of all political complexions are finding ways to expand access to mail-in ballots as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Then there's Texas. The state has some of the most restrictive laws limiting vote by mail in the country. Under Texas law, the program is open only to people who are 65 or older, people who will be out of the county during the election, people who are in jail and not convicted, and people who are disabled. (Lopez, 5/29)
ABC News:
Politicizing Vote-By-Mail Efforts Amid COVID-19 Could Disenfranchise Some Voters: Experts
Amid President Donald Trump’s charge that voting by mail is ripe with fraud potential, there are worries that such claims, in addition to the subsequent lawsuits that have followed, politicize state efforts to expand mail-in voting, and could cost some Americans a vital opportunity to have their votes counted... Some election experts... argue that continued legal action, as states race against time and limited financial resources, could potentially have a negative effect on citizens looking to cast their vote amid concerns of a second coronavirus outbreak this fall. (Vann, 5/29)
