Secretary of State Says to Wait and See About Montana Primaries

Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton says he'll wait for more information about the coronavirus outbreak before deciding whether to change to the state's June 2 primary elections. In a video posted on Twitter Tuesday, Stapleton says he will take a “deliberate pause” before discussing whether the primaries should be canceled, postponed, or conducted by mail.

“For the next week or so, we are gathering information and we are talking to people,” Stapleton said. “We are listening to the health experts and what they project over the weeks and months to come. We are watching what the other states have done or are doing. We are looking at the federal government to see if they provide insight or direction.”

According to Stapleton, changing elections is not as simple as people might think.

“Keep in mind, the Secretary of State has very stringent constitutional and statutory requirements in the way I run elections,” Stapleton said. “Since statehood, for 130 years, Montana has run elections during the wartime, during pandemics, during the great depression, and we are going to run a great election this year.”

Stapleton says they will provide guidance so that we all make good choices and not emotional choices.