When Will Joe Biden Officially Win The Democratic Nomination? 9 States Set To Hold Primaries Tuesday

Pennsylvania elections officials braced for what could be a chaotic primary day Tuesday, fearing coronavirus could keep turnout down and violent protests could disrupt balloting. Philadelphia is opening just 190 polling places, not the usual 831, and that number could dwindle with a surge in poll workers bowing out.

The primary originally was scheduled for April 28 but was postponed as coronavirus swept the state. Also holding primaries Tuesday are the District of Columbia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island and South Dakota.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, was expected to seal up the nomination once ballots from Tuesday’s primaries are counted, a process that could go through the end of the week with the expansion of mail-in voting. Biden needs 1,991 pledged delegates – he currently has 1,566 -- to secure the nomination on the first ballot at the Democratic National Convention, now tentatively scheduled for Aug. 17-20. Four-hundred-53 pledged delegates were at stake Tuesday.

He was in Philadelphia to try to calm racial tensions that have flared since a black Minneapolis man died as a white police officer knelt on his neck.

In remarks prepared for delivery, Biden said the death of George Floyd on Memorial Day served “as a wake-up call” that “speaks to a nation where too often just the color of you skin puts your life at risk.”

Saying there’s “no place for violence … looting or destroying property or burning churches or destroying businesses. … Nor is it acceptable for our police — sworn to protect and serve all people — to escalate tensions or resort to excessive violence.”

The remarks came as President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, which gives him the power to send the military into U.S. streets.

“Due to the continuing Corona Virus pandemic, polling places for the 2020 primary are being consolidated,” the Philadelphia City Commissioners said on their website.

In both the Philadelphia area and elsewhere in the state, counties expanded mail-in voting, and Gov. Tom Wolf extended the deadline for receiving ballots in six of the state’s most populous counties, a move challenged by Republicans who say only the Legislature can take that action. The six counties are part of a disaster declaration issued Saturday in the wake of violent protests.

“Free and fair elections mean that one person cannot change the rules at the 11th hour. Pure and simple. The founding fathers established a system with checks and balances. Even in an emergency, the General Assembly has an obligation to protect our citizens while defending our democracy,” a joint statement by Republican legislative leaders said.

The Pennsylvania Department of State, which oversees elections, said it processed nearly 373,000 requests for mail-in and absentee ballots for the six counties that had yet to be returned.

The primaries in Indiana, Maryland and Rhode Island also had been delayed.

Maryland is holding its primary entirely by mail as is Idaho. More than a half-million Indiana voters requested absentee ballots, which was expected to delay vote-counting. Rhode Island, New Mexico and South Dakota sent absentee ballot applications to all registered voters and Montana opened mail-in voting to all residents, as did the District of Columbia.

(This story has been corrected to include Idaho)