Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is questioning the wisdom of holding presidential primaries amid a global pandemic.
During an interview on CNN on Sunday night, Sanders was asked if he thinks the states should proceed with their presidential primaries in light of guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which encourages Americans to avoid events expected to draw more than 50 people.
“That is a very good question,” Sanders said, adding, “As you know, Louisiana, and Georgia, and Puerto Rico have delayed their elections.”
He added, “Look, election dates are very, very important, we don’t want to be getting into the habit of messing around with them,”
He continued:
“I would hope the governors listen to the public health experts and they’re saying … we don’t want gatherings of 50 or more people. And when I think about some of the elderly people sitting behind the desks, registering people and all that, does that make a lot of sense? I’m not sure that it does.”
Watch the interview below:
Bernie Sanders fires back at his Democratic rival Joe Biden’s attack on his health care plan, saying he “distorted virtually everything that I’m trying to do here” https://t.co/GyT4WEkjZQ #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/pwOPjnuskA
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) March 16, 2020
Sanders’ comments come as four states, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, and Ohio were scheduled to hold primaries on Tuesday. The governors of Illinois and Ohio both ordered bars and restaurants to close due to the spread of the coronavirus, as IJR has previously reported.
On Monday afternoon, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) announced he would file a lawsuit to postpone in-person voting until June.
A lawsuit will be filed to postpone the election until June 2, 2020. In the meantime, voters would still be able to request absentee ballots. It will be up to a judge to decide if the election will be postponed.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 16, 2020
Louisiana and George had already postponed their primaries, but there were questions as to whether voting should proceed in states that were scheduled to hold their primaries this Tuesday.