Pa. Primary Election Held Amid Protests, COVID-19 Pandemic Poses Difficult Task for Election Officials
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Pennsylvania election officials are bracing for an uncertain and potentially chaotic day (and night) on Tuesday, as voters throughout the Commonwealth look to cast their ballots amid the COVID-19 pandemic and protests over the death of George Floyd that have sparked confrontations with law enforcement.
Add to the already difficult situation of operating an election during a pandemic, recent
protests in cities throughout the state, some of which have turned violent, have made the situation even more chaotic and unpredictable.
Late Monday night, on the eve of the primary election, Gov. Tom Wolf signed an executive order
extending the deadline for county election offices in Allegheny, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties to receive mail-in ballots that are postmarked by 8:00 p.m. Tuesday night. These mail-in ballots must be received by those counties' election offices by 5:00 p.m. on June 9, 2020.
Tuesday's primary is Pennsylvania’s first test since
lawmakers expanded mail-in ballot options to all voters last fall, before the COVID-19 pandemic expanded interest in absentee voting. In total, eight states plus Washington D.C. will hold primaries on Tuesday. All of them have experienced a surge in interest in mail-in balloting, and are facing similar challenges related to COVID-19 and growing civil unrest.
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Daily COVID-19 update for Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 612 new positive confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide on Tuesday, bringing the state total to 72,894. In addition, 5,667 Pennsylvanians have died from complications from the virus. To date, there have been nearly 400,000 negative cases across the state.
Daily COVID-19 update for Ohio
The Ohio Department of Health reported 36,350
cumulative cases of COVID-19 and 2,258 deaths, including probable cases, by Tuesday afternoon. There have been 6,176 hospitalizations and 1,583 ICU admissions.
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Pa.'s revenues dealt another blow to close out May. The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue announced more economic bad news this week as the
state's tax revenues plummeted by nearly $440 million below estimates for the month of May. The 17 percent drop in revenue is primarily due to the continued economic stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
New scam targets WIC program participants. The Pennsylvania Department of Health is warning residents who participate in the state's supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children, also know as WIC, to be on
alert for a new scam targeting their personal information. The new phone scam is allegedly asking participants for bank account information to deposit funds. State officials said that although WIC clinics do perform eligibility determinations, they never call participants to request personal information.
Universal testing in Pa. nursing homes is underway as part of new strategy to curb cases. Pennsylvania's Secretary of Health said on Monday that at least
45 nursing homes across the state have tested patients and staff as part the state’s strategy for universal testing in nursing homes. Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said the goal is to test at least 1,900 facilities statewide, but the early focus will be on those facilities that have had reported outbreaks of COVID-19.
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Unprecedented times, but McNees is here to help
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The situation surrounding COVID-19 is changing by the hour.
Capitol Buzz
will do its best to keep our readers as up-to-date as possible as to local, state and federal actions relating to the virus.
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2020 SENATE SESSION SCHEDULE
The Senate stands in recess until the call of the President Pro Tempore.
June
8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30
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2020 HOUSE SESSION SCHEDULE
The House stands adjourned until Monday, June 8, 2020 at 1:00 p.m.
June
8, 9, 10, 22, 23, 24
September
15, 16, 17, 29, 30
October
1, 5, 6, 7, 19, 20, 21
November
10
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