Joe Biden Wins Ohio in First 'Mail-In' Democratic Primary Amid Coronavirus Pandemic in US
The voting lines were opened on Tuesday and registered electorate were asked to cast their votes on mail. The primary was initially scheduled to take place on March 17 -- but was cancelled at the last-minute after Republican Governor Mike DeWine cited the "health emergency" to suspend all in-person polling till June 2.
Washington, April 29: Former Vice President Joe Biden continued his victory march in the Democratic primary race, with a dominating win in Ohio. While the electoral race was not intriguing due to the contest at hand, but the fact that it was the first statewide election to be conducted without ballots in the United States. Donald Trump Woos Bernie Sanders' Supporters While Reacting to His Exit From Race, Blames Elizabeth Warren and DNC.
The voting lines were opened on Tuesday and registered electorate were asked to cast their votes on mail. The primary was initially scheduled to take place on March 17 -- but was cancelled at the last-minute after Republican Governor Mike DeWine cited the "health emergency" to suspend all in-person polling till June 2.
After the Democratic National Committee (DNC) moved the court, it was decided to allow a "mail-in" primary. As per the latest data on polling received, nearly 1.5 million electorate had registered their mandate by mid-day. The numbers, though lower than 3.5 million registered in 2016 primary, is promising considering the first online statewide elections.
The relatively low polling is also being linked to the lack of contest -- as Biden's main rival Bernie Sanders opted out of the White House race earlier this month. The Ohio Democratic primary results show Biden winning 72.39 percent of the votes, whereas, Sanders succeeded in securing the support of 16.51 percent of voters despite not being in the contest.
Following Sanders' exit, former President Barack Obama - under whose tenure Biden served as the VP - and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton endorsed Biden in his bid to unseat President Donald Trump in the November elections. While Biden is the presumptive nominee of Democratic Party, the official announcement is expected in July this year when the Democratic National Committee would convene.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 29, 2020 12:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).