VALDOSTA — Election Day has moved again due to coronavirus concerns.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Thursday morning the Georgia election schedule for May 19 will be pushed to June 9 following Gov Brian Kemp’s extension of Georgia’s state of emergency until May 13.

Citing people’s reluctance to go out due to COVID-19, Deb Cox, elections supervisor for the Lowndes County Board of Elections, said she believes the state made the right decision.

“I think it’s a definite positive. I think it’s only going to increase voter turnout … and it’s going to give us more time process these absentee ballot applications,” she said.

Although the election is pushed to June, residents still can still send absentee ballot applications if they want to avoid physically entering the elections office. Deemed critical infrastructure, the office remains open, allowing two visitors inside at a time, Cox said.

The Lowndes election board has received numerous absentee ballot applications in the past few days, with 2,000 applications arriving by mail Wednesday.

“We have literally thousands coming in every day,” she said. “We’re getting cases of them from the post office.”

Cox hired extra staff to help process the large amount of incoming ballot applications.

“And it’s the same across the state,” she noted. “I just heard from Thomas County, (their supervisor) says he hurt his back carrying in crate after crate of absentee ballot applications.”

Upon arrival, the ballots are computerized then locked up and kept in a secure location, Cox said.

Ballots will stay the same for the June 9 election besides one change relating to the presidential primary. 

The only difference, Cox said, will be if a resident has already voted in the Georgia presidential primary, then that will not be an option on their ballot. If they haven’t, then they can vote in the presidential primary.

Barring an act by the state legislature, do not expect the election date to be moved again, she said.

“It’s not going to get moved again because of legal deadlines,” Cox said. 

“We just had a conference with (Secretary of State) Brad Raffensperger, and he said that’s the latest date we can possibly put it on because of other legal deadlines.”