As increasingly drastic measures are put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus, four big states are going ahead with their primary elections on March 17.
Arizona, Florida, Illinois, and Ohio are all in varying states of emergency, but the polls will remain open. A total of 577 Democrat delegates and 328 Republican delegates are to be pledged.
“Polling locations see people from a nearby community coming into and out of the building for a short duration,” states a press release issued by the four states on March 13.
“Further, guidance from voting machine manufacturers on how best to sanitize machines, guidance from CDC on best practices for hand washing, and guidance from our respective state health officials is being provided to every polling location.”
Some polling sites in all states may be closed or have changed location due to the coronavirus. Officials are encouraging voters to check their polling location on their local supervisor of elections website.
Click on links for polling location information for Arizona, Florida, Illinois, and Ohio.
Poll workers have been instructed to take extra precautions during voting, such as frequently cleaning well-used surfaces and even pens and doorknobs. Polling locations should have extra hand sanitizer available, as well as alcohol wipes.
Ohio
Ohios schools will close at the end of day March 16 and remain closed through April 3, although the closure doesnt apply to daycare centers and home-based child care providers.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued a directors order on March 15 that all bars and restaurants must close to in-house patrons, effective at 9 p.m. Only carry-out and drive-through patronage is allowed, and no end date was given.
The Ohio Health Department said March 15 there are 37 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state. A further 361 are waiting for test results, while 140 have tested negative.
Ohio has 136 Democrat delegates and 82 Republican delegates to pledge.
Arizona
In Arizona, the primary will be for the Democrat candidate only and will pledge 67 delegates.
The Arizona GOP announced in September 2019 that the state will opt out of a Republican primary and pledged all 57 delegates to President Donald Trump.
“Arizonans are excited and energized to send President Trump back to the White House for four more years,” Arizona GOP Chair Dr. Kelli Ward said at the time.
Arizona schools are closed beginning March 16 through March 27, and Gov. Doug Ducey declared an emergency on March 11.
The Arizona Department of Health Services has reported 12 cases of COVID-19 in the state as of March 15.
Florida
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a public health emergency on March 1Read More – Source
[contf]
[contfnew]
The Epoch Times
[contfnewc]
[contfnewc]