In the face of a pandemic, the democratic process goes on — at least in three of the four states scheduled to hold primaries on Tuesday. With Ohio out due to concerns over voters spreading the coronavirus, Illinois, Florida, and Arizona held to their original schedules, with polls closing at 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 10 p.m., respectively. With Joe Biden up nationally — and already projected to win in Florida and Illinois — the night could be a decisive victory for the former vice-president. Bernie Sanders, meanwhile, hopes to keep the margin of the loss low in the three states — where Biden enjoys substantial leads according to forecasting. Below is everything you need to know about the coronavirus primary, as it comes in.
Joe Biden is projected to win Arizona, Florida, and Illinois
Unsurprisingly, the turnout is low
In the Chicago area, a substantial number of voters remained home: The turnout by midday was less than half that of the 2016 primary at the same time. Mail-in voter requests, however, were way up: The Windy City broke a WWII-era record on Sunday for mail-in applications, with 118,000 voters requesting ballots allowing them to stay home. Arizonans, too, are relying on mail-in ballots — to an extent that turnout could actually increase.
