In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, 14 states have postponed their presidential primaries.
Louisiana was the first state to decide to delay its primary, rescheduling from April 4 to June 2 to help curb the spread of COVID-19. Some of the first states to postpone primary votings also include Ohio, Georgia, Kentucky and Maryland.
Some states such as Florida, Illinois and Arizona continued with their March 17 primaries, however, with changes. For example, Florida and Illinois moved voting locations away from nursing homes. All these states also took steps to ensure voting spaces were clean.
Six of the states rescheduled the primaries for June 2. This date is important for the democratic party because it is one of the last days available to vote before the June 9 deadline.
Mailing in ballots has also become more popular.
The Democratic primary has become a two-man race between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Biden has won the majority of delegates in 19 states and Sanders has won the majority in seven states. With COVID-19 affecting the voting dates, it will be a while until all states have voted in the primaries.
President Donald J. Trump earned enough delegates March 17 to officially become the Republican nominee for the 2020 presidential election. A candidate needs a total of 1,276 delegates to win the nomination and Trump had received 1,330 delegates by March 17. The following day, Trump’s final competitor, former Massachusetts Gov. William F. Weld, ended his campaign.
