COLUMBUS, Ohio - Less than 24 hours before it was to have taken place, Ohio officials are seeking to delay the state’s presidential primary election until June 2, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday.

DeWine, a Republican, said it’s unfair to make groups vulnerable to COVID-19 — people who are 65 years old and older, pregnant people, people with compromised immune systems and others — decide whether they should vote or stay home on Tuesday.

"Is it a perfect decision? No, absolutely it is not. But’s the best we believe of the alternatives... And it doesn't force people to choose between their health and their constitutional rights," he said.

The move will require some legal maneuvering. DeWine said a lawsuit will be filed later Monday in Franklin County by a citizens’ group. LaRose, a Republican, said he will ask Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican, to not contest the suit, and to file the state’s recommendation that the election be delayed.

Between now and June 2, mail-in voting would continue, if the judge approves the move.

Why June 2? Because primary results are used to choose presidential delegates, and the Republican and Democratic conventions are scheduled for July.

“Safer would have been September," DeWine said. "we have one problem: it’s a presidential year.”

Ohio would join Georgia and Louisiana in seeking to move its election. Other March 17 primary states — Arizona, Illinois and Florida — have not sought to postpone voting.

Meanwhile, DeWine and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose recommended that Ohioans, particularly the vulnerable, stay home on Tuesday. They said asking poll workers to spend 13 hours in a public space is not safe.

As recently as Monday morning, officials had planned to move forward with the election. LaRose on Sunday night issued a written directive to elections officials, ordering them to set up curbside voting on Election Day, and to loosen absentee voting restrictions on those hospitalized or quarantined due to coronavirus.

But shortly it was to have begun, officials canceled a morning LaRose press conference at which he was going to discuss the new measures. They then announced LaRose would join DeWine for an afternoon announcement about the election.

DeWine attributed the change of heart to new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control — which recommended the public not hold gatherings larger than 50 people — and a conference call with federal officials. He also said that the public’s understanding of the gravity of the situation is rapidly changing, and more people have called with concerns.

“It’s clear that tomorrow’s in-person voting does not conform with these CDC guidelines,” DeWine said.

President Donald Trump, a Republican told reporters in Washington, D.C. that deciding on what to do about elections was up to individual states.

But, he said he felt postponing is “unnecessary."

“I hope they do it very safely. But I think postponing elections is not a very good thing,” he said, according to ABC News.

President Trump says he will leave the decision to postpone primary elections amid the coronavirus pandemic “up to the states,” but adds that he thinks “postponing is unnecessary.” https://t.co/4xMpOBDR5J pic.twitter.com/HxplP0wUQo — ABC News (@ABC) March 16, 2020

Ohio Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken and Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper were notified ahead of time.

Timken issued a statement quickly after the announcement: “We fully support this recommendation, while knowing how difficult this will be on our candidates and their campaigns. We will work with all parties to assist in disseminating information on the new primary date and the new voting rules associated with this change.”

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said in a statement he supports postponing the election, but isn’t sure about the June 2 date or the plan to eventually conduct in-person voting.

“Extending an election is an unprecedented step, so we as a party are weighing alternatives on how to best do so — including the possibility to conduct the primary election entirely by vote-by-mail, as is done in several other states, with a deadline much earlier than June 2,” he said.

State officials had tried for days to keep the primary election as planned, despite a previous Ohio order from Gov. Mike DeWine banning “mass gatherings” of 100 or more people. Until Monday, officials said the election or in-person voting at early-voting centers didn’t constitute a mass gathering.

As of Monday afternoon -- a week from the first confirmed cases -- 50 people had tested positive with COVID-19. But officials have said that as many as 100,000 Ohioans could have COVID-19, due to testing shortages and asymptomatic people. The disease incubates for up to two weeks.

This story will be updated.

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