New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday he signed an executive order postponing primary elections that had been scheduled for June 2 until July 7 in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
“Citizens exercising their right to vote should not have to risk their safety and the safety of others in order to make their voices heard,” Mr. Murphy said.
The action comes a day after Wisconsin pressed forward with a chaotic primary election, after the state Supreme Court blocked a last-ditch effort from Gov. Tony Evers to postpone it.
The U.S. Supreme Court also blocked a lower court’s ruling that would have extended absentee balloting in Wisconsin until April 13.
Virtually every other state has moved to postpone their elections or sharply curtail in-person voting amid the outbreak.
Mr. Murphy had previously delayed some elections that had been scheduled to take place in March and April until May 12.
The governor on Wednesday also reported 275 additional coronavirus-related deaths in his state — a new single-day high — which brings New Jersey’s total to 1,504.
There were 3,088 new cases, for a state total of 47,437 out of close to 9 million people.
New Jersey has been the second-hardest-hit U.S. state behind New York in the coronavirus pandemic in terms of cases and deaths, both in raw numbers and adjusted for population.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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