Presidential primary in Florida will move forward as planned

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - As cities and states elsewhere in the country are imposing curfews, shutting down bars and restaurants because of the COVID-19 outbreak, voters in Florida can still head to the polls Tuesday for the state's presidential primary. State officials say they are ready.

On Monday, Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters "we're not going to panic."

"The fact of the matter is these things can be done in ways where you're not going to have large crowds -- because it's just one vote," he said. "For most counties, it's literally one oval you're going to do."

Volunteers are heavily relied on at polling locations, many of which are elderly, and those volunteers have concerns over catching the virus. In Pinellas County, 250 poll workers have quit over coronavirus concerns, according to Dustin Chase, a spokesperson for the county's Supervisor of Elections.

They are planning to use county employees to fill the void, who have never worked an election before. County officials are asking for patience from voters. According to Chase, 28 percent of registered voters have already filled out a ballot through early voting and mail-in ballots.

Polling locations were changed in Polk, Sarasota, Pinellas, and Hillsborough counties to avoid bringing crowds to assisted living facilities or retirement communities. As a result, some Florida counties have combined those polling places with others nearby, meaning they needed fewer workers. A full list can be viewed here, or on your local Supervisor of Elections' website.

As a precaution, officials have promised hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes at the polls.

About 1.9 million of the state’s voters had voted by mail or at early voting centers as of Monday afternoon, according to statistics from the Division of Elections.

Arizona and Illinois are also proceeding with their presidential primaries.

Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio failed to get a judge to halt the primary Monday evening, even though the governor contended the election results wouldn’t be viewed as legitimate in light of the pandemic.

“To conduct an election tomorrow would force poll workers and voters to place themselves at an unacceptable health risk of contracting coronavirus,” he said.

It wasn’t clear what would happen, but DeWine said officials were considering how to give voters an opportunity to cast their ballots.

DeWine and Secretary of State Frank LaRose had supported a lawsuit by voters seeking a delay in the primary until June 2, in the hope that the outbreak subsides by then. Ohio Judge Richard Frye ruled against the motion Monday night, saying it was not his place and would set a terrible precedent.

Elsewhere, Georgia, Kentucky, and Louisiana have postponed their scheduled primaries.

Florida's presidential primary might be the place for a final showdown between two very different Democratic candidates — former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. The Sunshine State has 219 delegates at stake, the biggest prize of the day’s primaries.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

You can find election information in the Bay Area on your county's Supervisor of Elections website: