Senator calls for rethink to avoid postponing November presidential election due to coronavirus

Will the presidential election have to be conducted by mail? Senator calls for a rethink to avoid postponing November 2020 due to coronavirus

  • Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal wants voters to be able to social distance when they go to the polls in the November election 
  • Blumenthal’s proposal comes as lawmakers speculate President Donald Trump may move to delay the election because of the global pandemic
  • So far, the Republican incumbent and his Democratic rivals Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders have not weighed in on a delay 
  • Blumenthal also suggests voters consider alternative voting methods before a plan is made to delay the November vote 
  • Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?

Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal wants expanded absentee voting, voters to be able to social distance and other measures when they go to the polls in the November election so that they can remain safe from exposure to the coronavirus.

Blumenthal’s proposal comes as some lawmakers speculate President Donald Trump may move to delay the election because of the global pandemic, given that several states have already postponed their primaries.

So far, the Republican incumbent and his Democratic rivals – former vice president Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders – have not said they want to postpone the November contest.

Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal wants voters to be able to social distance when they go to the polls in the November election so that they can remain safe from exposure to the coronavirus. Voters are pictured in New Hampshire during the 2016 presidential election 

Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president Joe Biden has so far not called for a delay in the November election due to coronavirus concerns

So far, President Donald Trump (pictured) and his Democratic rivals - former vice president Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders - have not said they want to postpone the November election

So far, President Donald Trump and his Democratic rivals – former vice president Joe Biden (left) and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders – have not said they want to postpone the November election

There have been more than 43,000 confirmed cases in the US of the infection, also known as COVID-19, which has been blamed for 553 known deaths.

Federal health officials have warned that the worst of the pandemic has yet to hit the U.S.

More than 43,000 people tested positive for coronavirus by Monday night, and more than 550 people were dead

More than 43,000 people tested positive for coronavirus by Monday night, and more than 550 people were dead  

Trump has left it up to each state how they choose to respond to the coronavirus outbreak, prompting governors to issue local lockdowns which have impacted residents and non-essential businesses and services.

States that have issued shelter-in place orders, so far, are California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Ohio, Oregon, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

Among lawmakers who have speculated Trump may seek a delay of the election is  Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio, reports Just the News.

Blumenthal, also a Democrat and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, looking ahead suggests voters consider alternative voting methods before the outbreak forces a delay to the November vote.

‘The general election cannot be delayed in my view without substantial disruption,’ Blumenthal told Just the News on Friday. ‘It has to be done before the end of the year because the Constitution requires that the results be done.’

He said options to consider include expanded absentee voting, remote voting and rethinking ‘how we can allocate space and distribute people so they’re not standing next to each other in polling places.’

‘We’re the United States of America,’ he said. ‘Democracies can conquer these kinds of logistical challenges. We should plan to have our election in November. The primaries, perhaps, should be delayed and again, expanded absentee ballots. … I think we need to think through how to do it.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk