Georgia’s statewide primary and presidential preference primary has been postponed until June 9 amid concerns that the coronavirus pandemic might make it unsafe for people go to the polls in May.

Early voting was scheduled to start later this month. That now has also been pushed back.

The decision also means that the ESPLOST and bond referendum questions in Gainesville and Hall County have been moved to June 9.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said the decision by Gov. Brian Kemp to extend the statewide public health emergency to May 13 made it possible for him to push back the election, which was originally scheduled for May 19.

“This decision allows our office and county election officials to continue to put in place contingency plans to ensure that voting can be safe and secure when in-person voting begins and prioritizes the health and safety of voters, county election officials, and poll workers,” Raffensperger said.

Raffensperger said some county election officials, particularly those in Southwest Georgia, which has been a hotspot for the virus, said they couldn’t get ready in time for in-person early voting to start on April 27. Likewise, some churches and other facilities that are used as voting precincts have told the state they don’t want to be used this time. And many counties are having problems finding people to work the polls on election day.

The latest models from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention project the COVID-19 outbreak will peak in Georgia around April. 24.

“I certainly realize that every difficulty will not be completely solved by the time in-person voting begins for the June 9 election, but elections must happen even in less than ideal circumstances,” Raffensperger said. “Just like our brave healthcare workers and first responders, our county election officials and poll workers are undertaking work critical to our democracy, and they will continue to do this critical work with all the challenges that the current crisis has brought forth.”

The voter registration deadline for the June 9 election will be May 11. Early voting will begin on May 18. Moving the primary election to June 9 will move the primary runoff to August 11.

Georgia becomes the latest state to push back an election because of coronavirus. It previously moved the presidential primary from March 24 to May 19. Fifteen other states have either delayed their presidential primaries or switched to voting by mail.

Pressure had been mounting on Raffensperger to delay the primaries. House Speaker David Ralston has been a vocal supporter of a delay. State law allows the secretary of state to delay an election for up to 45 days if the governor declares a state of emergency. On Wednesday, Kemp extended the statewide public health emergency through May 13.

The state has also sent absentee voter request forms to all registered voters in the state. Voters can still return those forms to get an absentee ballot for the June primary, even though the form references May 19. The election will be the first time Georgia has used its new voting machines, where voters use a touchscreen to make their selections, then print out a copy of their ballot which is then entered into a scanner.