Voters are scheduled to go the polls in four states across the country amid the coronavirus pandemic, although it’s uncertain if the primary elections will go on. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on Monday called for the primary elections in Ohio to be postponed because of the virus.
“We cannot conduct this election tomorrow, the in-person voting for 13 hours tomorrow, and conform to [CDC] guidelines,” DeWine said at a press conference. The decision ultimately will be left to the courts.
Poll closing time by state for March 17 primaries
- Arizona: 10 p.m. ET
- Florida: 8 p.m. ET * Polls begin to close at 7 p.m. ET
- Illinois: 8 p.m. ET
- Ohio: 7:30 p.m. ET *Governor has filed lawsuit to delay Ohio primary until June
The Illinois Board of Elections said Monday that despite DeWine’s announcement, Illinois will be “proceeding with plans for tomorrow’s primary as scheduled.”
At a news conference on Monday, President Trump said delaying elections would be “not a very good thing.”