# March 17: the overshadowed-by-covid-19 primaries (FL,IL,OH,AZ) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 13, 2020, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408 "2020-03-13T13:28:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/21 "2020-03-16T19:54:02Z")
Mike DeWine is recommending that the Ohio primary be bumped to June. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/22 "2020-03-16T21:31:37Z")
I’ve been reporting posts left and right on social media. These Bros aren’t particularly smart, they still have Bernie stuff in their profile as they encourage older voters to stay at home tomorrow for health. Utterly despicable what these shitheads will do for their revolution. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/23 "2020-03-16T21:34:14Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > I’m an Illinois voter, and couldn’t tell you the last time I skipped an election. However, I’m considering skipping the primary. I’m not certain, but I’m thinking about it. I wouldn’t skip the general, not with Trump on the ticket, but there I’ll support whoever the Democrat is. Covid-19 is why I’m considering skipping the primary. > > Biden is expected to win Illinois, and that’s who I’d vote for. I’ll let you know Tuesday, this virus crap seems to get weirder by the hour, so Tuesday could be a long way away. > (I took my stepdaughter to a restaurant in Orland Park today, and was a little hesitant to do that. But she was in favor, and we went. TBy the time we got home it was announced that tomorrow all sit down restaurants and bars in Illinois are going to be closed for the next 2 weeks plus.) I’ll encourage you to vote, the amount of Bernie ‘stay home for your health’ stuff is sickening on social media. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/24 "2020-03-16T21:49:38Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > I’m an Illinois voter, and couldn’t tell you the last time I skipped an election. However, I’m considering skipping the primary. I’m not certain, but I’m thinking about it. I wouldn’t skip the general, not with Trump on the ticket, but there I’ll support whoever the Democrat is. Covid-19 is why I’m considering skipping the primary. > > Biden is expected to win Illinois, and that’s who I’d vote for. I’ll let you know Tuesday, this virus crap seems to get weirder by the hour, so Tuesday could be a long way away. > (I took my stepdaughter to a restaurant in Orland Park today, and was a little hesitant to do that. But she was in favor, and we went. TBy the time we got home it was announced that tomorrow all sit down restaurants and bars in Illinois are going to be closed for the next 2 weeks plus.) I’ll encourage you to vote, the amount of Bernie ‘stay home for your health’ stuff is sickening on social media. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/25 "2020-03-16T22:38:38Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Nate Silver [tweets](https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1238573181868351488): > Fat lady’s warming up her vocal cords. And FL has a lot of delegates, and Sanders has no chance. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/26 "2020-03-16T23:06:55Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I’ll encourage you to vote, the amount of Bernie ‘stay home for your health’ stuff is sickening on social media. Obviously those accounts will never mention the success several states (Washington, Hawaii, Colorado, and Oregon) have had, for a long time, with vote-by-mail: > [@](#): > > … Four of the states—Oregon (2000), Washington (2011), Colorado (2013) and Hawaii (2019) —hold all elections entirely by mail. In California, some counties are currently permitted to conduct all-mail elections. After 2020, the option will be available to all counties in the state. Utah permits individual counties to determine if they would like to conduct all-mail election or not and all counties are expected to do so in 2020. Other states permit all-mail elections in certain circumstances, such as for special elections, municipal elections, when there is a smaller voting population in a given district, or at the discretion of the county clerk. See below for state-by-state statutes. … > **[Policy Research](https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/all-mail-elections)** > > NCSL’s experts are here to answer your questions and give you unbiased, comprehensive information as soon as you need it on issues facing state legislatures. We answer more than 20,000 requests for information a year. Bernie seems convinced that putting off primaries will result in a tidal wave of votes for him. I’m not sure why he believes that might happen. But in any case, this lack of certainty in the Dem race all works to the benefit of Trump. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/27 "2020-03-17T02:13:30Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Obviously those accounts will never mention the success several states (Washington, Hawaii, Colorado, and Oregon) have had, for a long time, with vote-by-mail: > [Policy Research](https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/all-mail-elections.aspx) > > Bernie seems convinced that putting off primaries will result in a tidal wave of votes for him. I’m not sure why he believes that might happen. But in any case, this lack of certainty in the Dem race all works to the benefit of Trump. I think Bernie just wants to draw out the election. I have a nasty suspicion that this is just to punish the DNC by giving trump another four years. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/28 "2020-03-17T02:42:09Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Covid-19 is why I’m considering skipping the primary… Does Illinois not have absentee voting? After reading this thread, I just sent my email to the city requesting an absentee ballot (which they’ll email to me… no human contact, no germs!). ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/29 "2020-03-17T02:45:58Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Does Illinois not have absentee voting? After reading this thread, I just sent my email to the city requesting an absentee ballot (which they’ll email to me… no human contact, no germs!). We do, but the ballot has to be postmarked by Election Day which is tomorrow ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/30 "2020-03-17T02:48:56Z")
Is anyone following the Ohio clusterfuck? First DeWine tried to shut it down, then a judge apparently ruled he couldn’t, then the top health official closed it, then someone in the judge’s office said the judge never said it had to go forward, he only ruled that the specific application to stop it wasn’t being upheld. Chaos. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/31 "2020-03-17T02:52:45Z")
Ohio governor called to postpone the elections less than 24 hours before the polls opened. Judge overruled his order. They sent Ohio’s favorite new person, Dr. Amy Acton, to call a stare of emergency and cancel the election for reals. The story is ongoing, I think. [https://m.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2020/03/16/welp-as-of-this-moment-the-primary-elections-are-off-again-maybe](https://m.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2020/03/16/welp-as-of-this-moment-the-primary-elections-are-off-again-maybe) I personally didn’t vote early because I didn’t have enough info yet to decide between the candidates. I was biding my time. I wasn’t sure if I was going to bother to vote Tuesday but there is an issue I want to pass (parks levy). The governor is right - old and immunocompromised people shouldn’t have to choose between their health and their right to vote. They need to suspend it and give everyone a chance. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/32 "2020-03-17T02:55:36Z")
Never mind what I wrote, the secretary of state of Ohio just sent a letter to all the election boards and said it’s been postponed until June 2. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/33 "2020-03-17T03:01:45Z")
I should mention that the Ohio House of Representatives sent a simultaneous note saying that Mike DeWine didn’t have the right to pause the primaries, and that they were to continue. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/34 "2020-03-17T03:43:11Z")
On the one hand, kudos to the governor for trying to do the right thing unlike other states. OTOH, this is an absolute mess. So glad my state already voted. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/35 "2020-03-17T03:56:42Z")
The times we live in keep getting interestinger and interestinger. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/36 "2020-03-17T10:34:53Z")
The Governor of Illinois has declared that we will have no gatherings of 50 or more people. I’m not eactly sure what means of enforcement are available, but today is election day. There could easily be state sanctioned gatherings of 50 or more people. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/37 "2020-03-17T11:33:32Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > I think it is probably safe to guess which geezer the Cuban and Venezuelan Americans in Florida will vote for. The bright side for Sanders is that Florida is a closed primary. That limits the potential damage among a Republican leaning demographic. I think a closed primary would help Biden, when you combine the effects of Republican trolling, leftist Bernie supporters for whom the Democratic party is too conservative to join, and “Burn it all down” Trump-Sanders people. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/38 "2020-03-17T14:44:12Z")
Closed primaries definitely hurt Sanders, and were a constant source of Berner complaint back in 2016. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/39 "2020-03-17T15:32:20Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > The Governor of Illinois has declared that we will have no gatherings of 50 or more people. I’m not eactly sure what means of enforcement are available, but today is election day. There could easily be state sanctioned gatherings of 50 or more people. Maybe, but not at my polling location. When I went, it was me and two other people (and the polling location is for two precincts). Only three election judges for each precinct, the legal minimum. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408/40 "2020-03-17T18:02:16Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > Closed primaries definitely hurt Sanders, and were a constant source of Berner complaint back in 2016. All they have to do is register Dem- and for whom they are trying to nominate. I think all primaries shoudl be closed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-17-the-overshadowed-by-covid-19-primaries-fl-il-oh-az/849408.md?page=3)