Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Tuesday's Delayed Primary Results May Be New Normal As States Push Mail-In-Voting Amid Pandemic
The New York Times: Lots Of Drama But Little Certainty In Kentucky And New York Primaries
Voters in Kentucky and New York were selecting nominees in extraordinary circumstances on Tuesday, as fears about the coronavirus reduced the number of polling places and led to a surge in absentee balloting that was almost certain to delay the results, possibly for days. Kentucky Democrats were deciding who would be their nominee against Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, in a race that was testing the power of money against the potency of the grass-roots activism that has sprung up around the Black Lives Matter movement. (Martin and McKinley, 6/22)
Reuters: Amid Coronavirus, Kentucky, New York Report Few Voting Glitches
Voters stood in long lines in one of Kentucky’s biggest counties, and some voters in New York complained their polling stations opened late. But the two states were mostly spared the delays and confusion seen earlier this year during elections in Wisconsin and Georgia. New York and Kentucky, which were holding statewide primaries, had encouraged mail-in balloting as a safe alternative to in-person voting, resulting in record numbers of absentee ballot requests. Both also encouraged early voting and cut back on polling locations amid a shortage of poll workers. (Whitesides, 6/23)
The Washington Post: Voting In Kentucky, New York Primaries: Officials Contend With Mail-In Ballots, Poll Worker Cancellations
Michael G. Adams, Kentucky’s Republican secretary of state, projected that total turnout would exceed 1 million, including roughly 800,000 mailed ballots. The final figure would shatter the previous record of 922,456 primary voters set in 2008. Poll worker cancellations had forced election officials to staff fewer than 200 polling locations instead of the usual 3,700, but Adams said an avalanche of mail-in balloting and in-person early voting helped lessen demand on the polls Tuesday. (Gardner, Ye Hee Lee and Viebeck, 6/23)
Politico: Primary Voters In New York And Kentucky Turn Out Despite Pandemic
Brooklyn resident Jean Desrosiers is undergoing dialysis, putting him at high risk from Covid-19. He was among 1.7 million New Yorkers who requested a ballot, though like many others, his never arrived. “Even if I can’t walk, I’m going to come out,” said Desrosiers, who uses a cane. (Durkin and Montellaro, 6/23)
AP: 2 Republicans Opposed By Trump Win In Kentucky, N. Carolina
Voters rebuffed President Donald Trump and nominated two Republicans he opposed to House seats from North Carolina and Kentucky on Tuesday. Calls in higher-profile races in Kentucky and New York faced days of delay as swamped officials count mountains of mail-in ballots. In western North Carolina, GOP voters picked 24-year-old investor Madison Cawthorn, who uses a wheelchair following an accident, over Trump-backed real estate agent Lynda Bennett. The runoff was for the seat vacated by GOP Rep. Mark Meadows, who resigned to become Trump’s chief of staff and joined his new boss in backing Bennett. (Cassidy, Hudspeth Blackburn and Fram, 6/24)
Reuters: Black Challenger Bowman Leads In Bid To Oust Veteran Congressman Engel In U.S. Primaries
Jamaal Bowman, a liberal Black middle-school principal, was ahead in early Democratic primary election results Tuesday in his bid to oust long-time U.S. Representative Eliot Engel from a congressional seat representing part of New York. The New York Times declared progressive Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez the winner in her contest against a challenger in a neighboring New York district, in races that tested the strength of the Democratic Party’s left wing after moderate Joe Biden became the presumptive presidential nominee. (Cowan and Cornwell, 6/23)
NPR: Trump And Biden Campaigns Argue Over Presidential Debates
A presidential debate scheduled for Oct. 15 will no longer be held at the University of Michigan. ... The Commission on Presidential Debates announced the debate will instead be held at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. The venue hosted the first debates of the Democratic presidential primary last summer. (Detrow, 6/23)
