Muskogee Mayoral Runoff has been pushed to June 30th

I missed this news from yesterday, but for those who were wondering, the Muskogee mayoral runoff election has been officially rescheduled from April 7th to June 30th.

From the Muskogee Phoenix:

Concerns about community spread of the novel coronavirus prompted the cancellation of the runoff election scheduled April 7, when Muskogee voters were scheduled to choose their next mayor.

City councilors on Monday approved a resolution that reschedules the election to coincide with party primary elections that will be conducted June 30 statewide. The resolution also provides for city councilors who won election on Feb. 7 to assume their duties on April 6, a week earlier than anticipated had they waited until the Tuesday following the runoff election.

Kelly Beach said school districts that had scheduled elections for April 7 are expected to follow suit after the Oklahoma State Election Board authorized such measures after it declared an election emergency. The move was part of the state's efforts to curb person-to-person infection — or community spread — of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.

City Attorney Roy Tucker said he was contacted by Beach after the state election officials declared the election emergency. Beach already had been encouraging voters to apply for and cast absentee ballots in an effort to promote social distancing.

Beach also had reported problems with securing enough precinct workers to conduct the elections. Regular precinct workers, he said, had expressed concerns about potential exposure to the coronavirus, for which there is no vaccine, no approved treatment, and no immunities.