What Went Down In Michigan, Washington And Other Democratic Primaries

Kaleigh wrote about this for the live blog, but coronavirus could also impact things tonight. There are already more than 260 cases and 24 deaths in Washington, and both Sanders and Biden cancelled rallies today. How much do you think this is already factoring into the election already, both on the ground and in how voters are making up their minds?

In addition to the six states voting today, Democrats Abroad — the Democratic Party arm for the millions of Americans who live in other countries — also wraps up its unusual presidential voting process today. Polling places were open between March 3 and 10 at hundreds of sites around the world, from Auckland, New Zealand, to Helsinki, Finland, to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Voters also had the option to mail, fax or email (!) their ballot from their specific corner of the world. Virtual ballots must be received by tonight, while mailed ballots must arrive by tomorrow. About three-fifths of voters had, as of Saturday, chosen to cast their ballots remotely.

A few voting centers have already shared provisional results, so we may get some early returns tonight. But Democrats Abroad will not officially announce the full results until March 23, so don’t wait up.

Another big story dominating headlines — and headspaces — today is coronavirus. The latest reports are that 955 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the U.S. and at least 29 people have died. Western states including Washington (which holds its primary today) have been hit the hardest, with more than 260 cases and 24 deaths in the Evergreen State alone. On the other hand, Missouri has just one reported case, while the rest of the states holding primaries today have not had any reported cases.

Health experts and the Centers for Disease Control have suggested that people help slow the spread by frequently washing their hands and avoiding large crowds. But at least until this afternoon, when Biden and Sanders both announced they were both canceling tonight’s rallies in Ohio, the candidates continued to hold campaign events, attracting hundreds of people.

Still, both candidates have spoken about the realities of campaigning in the time of coronavirus. Biden has said his campaign is following the recommendations of the CDC, and at a Biden rally in Detroit, volunteers offered dollops of hand sanitizer to every attendee as they walked in the door.

On Monday, Sanders held a town hall discussion on the outbreak with infectious disease experts, where he said his campaign always confers with local public health officials before scheduling a rally.

Still, it’s worth noting that neither candidate has made a visit to Washington in the days leading up to the primary, despite the fact that it’s one of the few states where Biden has only a modest lead and Sanders has an opportunity to pull off a win, according to FiveThirtyEight’s forecast.

Thanks to the state’s policy of mail-in voting, Washington state election officials aren’t too worried about the virus impacting the primary. They have, however, requested voters not lick the envelope when sealing their ballots.