The 2020 Democratic primary election, which will decide who faces off against Trump for the presidency in November, is heating up. With Bernie Sanders sweeping the popular vote in the first three states; Buttigieg, Klobuchar and Steyer off the ballot; Bloomberg targeting the south in ads; Warren making her last stand; and Biden riding high from South Carolina, Super Tuesday is gearing up to be an armageddon. So far 155 pledged delegates have been doled out. Fourteen states — plus Democrats abroad and American Samoa — will hold primaries today, putting 1,357 delegates up for grabs. The results are likely to either lock down the nomination for Sanders or narrow the race to a face-off between the Vermont senator and the former Vice President.
A few key things to remember: there are 3,979 total pledged delegates, which are awarded to a candidate based on their performance in a state primary or caucus, and 771 unpledged or "superdelegates." Superdelegates aren't tied to what happens in the primaries: they're determined by party bigwigs in each state (governors, senators, congresspeople etc.) and only come into play if a candidate fails to capture a majority: 1,991 of the unpledged delegates.
Related | How To Register to Vote in Your State
In the wake of Steyer, Buttiegieg and Klobuchar's exits, some unrelatably organized voters — those living in states like California or Colorado where mail-in early voting is common — have already cast votes for candidates who dropped out. Unfortunately, very few states have a remedy for this. Pennsylvania and Michigan (not Super Tuesday states) bless their souls, allow voters to come "spoil" their vote till the polls close. However, in most states — and all those voting today — votes for candidates no longer running simply won't count.
Especially in light of the dropouts, many of the races today are going to be close. So it's really fucking important to vote! This process can be complicated: states have varied policies on same-day registration, voter ID, absentee voting, and primary voting for people who'll turn 18 by the general election. To clear things up, we put together a state-by-state-guide of everything you need to know: find it below.
A couple important things to remember: all 14 Super Tuesday states require polling places to allow anyone who is in line when polls close to vote. If you witness polls turning voters in line away — or encounter any other kind of voter suppression at the polls today, the Election Protection hotline can help out.
English: 866-OUR-VOTE
Spanish/English: 888-VE-Y-VOTA
Arabic/English: 844-YALLA-US
Asian Languages/English: 888-API-VOTE
Results will come in tonight between 6PM and 11PM ET, as polls close, but don't expect to know who "won" Super Tuesday when you go to bed tonight. Less contested states will have final results when polls close, but tighter races and states with lots of mail-in voting could take days, or longer to call.
For those just spectating today, don't worry you'll get your turn: Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington are coming up on March 10. Tri-staters: New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania are April 28 — more time to register to vote. See the full primary calendar here.
Alabama
When? Polls open at 7AM and close at 7PM. You can vote if you're in line when the polls close.
Where? Find out your polling place here.
Delegates up for grabs: 52
Who's favored? There's a dearth of polling data, but Biden is thought to be favored based on the results in South Carolina.
Need ID at the polls? Yes, see valid forms here. Voters without ID can submit a provisional ballot, which will be verified later.
Same day voter registration? Nope. In Alabama, voter registration closes fourteen days before an election. Check if you're registered to vote here.
Do I have to be registered as a Democrat to participate? Nope. Alabama is an open primary state, meaning anyone can vote in the primary of their choice, regardless of affiliation.
What if I won't be in-state on Tuesday? Unfortunately, the deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is five days before an election. Voted absentee ballots must be received by noon on election day.
I'm 17, but will be 18 by the general election. Can I vote in the primary? Nope.
Arkansas
When? Polls open at 7:30AM and close at 7:30 PM (you can vote if you're line when the polls close).
Where? Find out your polling place here.
Delegates up for grabs: 31
Who's favored? Not much data. Bloomberg has poured ad money into Arkansas, but local coverage says the state is very split.
Need ID at the polls? Yes, see valid forms here. Voters without ID can submit a provisional ballot, which'll be approved later once the registration is verified.
Same day voter registration? Nope. The deadline to register to vote was February 17. Check if you're registered to vote here.
Do I have to be registered as a Democrat to participate? Nope! Arkansas has an open primary.
What if I won't be in the state on Tuesday? Unfortunately, the deadline to apply for an absentee ballot has passed. Absentee ballots must be received by 7:30PM on election day.
If I'm 17, but will be 18 by the general election, can I vote in the primary? Nope.
California
When? Polls open at 7:00AM and close at 8:00PM.
Where? Find out your polling place here.
Delegates up for grabs: 415
Who's favored? Bernie Sanders has a sizable, 18-point lead in an average of the polls.
Need ID at the polls? Not unless you're voting for the first time and didn't provide ID when you registered. In this case, see valid forms of ID here.
Same day voter registration? Yes! You can simply go to your polling place, fill out a registration form and receive a ballot, which will be counted once election officials verify your registration.
Do I have to be registered as a Democrat to participate? Nope, California is not exactly an open primary, but it allows parties to decide if their primaries will be open to unaffiliated voters. This year, the Democratic Party, the American Independent Party and the Libertarian Party are holding open primaries.
What if I won't be in the state on Tuesday? Unfortunately the deadline to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot passed on February 25. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked on or before election day, and received no later than three days after election day.
If I'm 17, but will be 18 by the general election, can I vote in the primary? Nope.
Colorado
When? Polls open at 7:00AM and close at 7:00PM.
Where? Find your polling place here.
Delegates up for grabs? 67
Who's favored? Sanders leads the pack by 15 points.
Need ID at the polls? Yes, see acceptable forms of ID here.
Same day voter registration? Yes! You can register to vote and cast a ballot in person on Election Day.
Do I have to be registered as a Democrat to participate? No! Those registered as unaffiliated can vote in the Democratic primary. They'll receive ballots in the mail for both the Democratic and Republican primaries, but can only submit one. If you did not receive a ballot in the mail, no problem! You can request a new one in person at your polling place.
What if I won't be in the state on Tuesday? Colorado uses a vote-by-mail system exclusively, so there is no need for either explicit absentee procedures, unless you needed to mail it to a different address. All ballots must be received by 7PM on election da (you can drop off your ballot in person).
If I'm 17, but will be 18 by the general election, can I vote in the primary? Yes!
Massachusetts
When? 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Some polling places may open as early as 5:45AM.
Where? Find your polling place here.
Delegates up for grabs: 91
Who's favored? Sanders has a slight lead on Warren, although it's the latter's home state.
Need ID at the polls? Most likely yes: if you're a first-time voter, inactive voter or casting a provisional ballot, you may be asked. See valid forms here.
Same day registration? Nope, in Masachusetts you have to register 20 days before the election; that deadline was February 12. Check if you're already registered to vote here.
Do I have to be registered as a Democrat to participate? Nope! Massachusetts is an open primary.
What if I won't be in the state on Tuesday? Unfortunately, absentee ballot applications must be received by noon the day before an election, and submitted by the time the polls close on Election Day.
If I'm 17, but will be 18 by the general election, can I vote in the primary? Nope.
Minnesota
When? Polls open at 7:00AM and close at 8:00PM.
Where? Find your polling place here.
Delegates up for grabs: 75
Who's favored? Before Klobuchar dropped out, she had a small lead over Sanders. But Bernie's now leading the state by ten points.
Need ID at the polls? Not if your registration is current and active. If it's not, or you need to register on election day, you'll need ID. See valid forms here.
Same day voter registration? Yes! You can register to vote and cast a ballot in person on Election Day.
Do I have to be registered as a Democrat to participate? Nope, Minnesota is an open primary.
What if I won't be in the state on Tuesday? Unfortunately, mail-in ballots must be requested seven days before the election. If you already have a mail-in ballot, it must be received by 8PM on election day.
If I'm 17, but will be 18 by the general election, can I vote in the primary? Nope.
North Carolina
When? Polls open at 6:30AM and close at 7:30Pm
Where? Find your polling place here.
Delegates up for grabs: 110
Who's favored? Different polls each show Biden and Sanders in the lead.
Need ID at the polls? Nope.
Same day voter registration? Nope. Registration closed 25 days before the election. Check if you're already registered to vote here.
Do I have to be registered as a Democrat to participate? Nope, North Carolina is an open primary for unaffiliated voters.
What if I won't be in the state on Tuesday? The deadline to request an absentee ballot passed February 25. Absentee ballots must be received by 5PM on election day.
If I'm 17, but will be 18 by the general election, can I vote in the primary? Yes!
Oklahoma
When? Polls open at 7:00AM and close at 7:00PM.
Where? Find your polling place here.
Delegates up for grabs: 37
Who's favored? Sanders recently pulled 13 points ahead of Biden.
Need ID at the polls? Yes, see valid forms here.
Same day voter registration? Nope. Registration closed on February 7.
Do I have to be registered as a Democrat to participate? Yes, Oklahoma is a closed primary state.
What if I won't be in the state on Tuesday? The deadline to request an absentee ballot passed February 5. Absentee ballots must be received by 7PM on election day to be counted.
If I'm 17, but will be 18 by the general election, can I vote in the primary? Nope.
Tennessee
When? Polls open at 7:00AM and close at 8:00PM.
Where? Find your polling place here.
Delegates up for grabs: 64
Who's favored? Not much polling data, but demographics are promising for Biden, and Bloomberg has been spending massive amounts in the state.
Need ID at the polls? Yes, see valid forms here.
Same day voter registration? Nope, registration closed February 3. Check if you're already registered to vote here.
Do I have to be registered as a Democrat to participate? Nope, Tennessee is an open primary state.
What if I won't be in the state on Tuesday? The deadline to request an absentee ballot is seven days before the election. Absentee ballots must be received by the close of polls on election day.
If I'm 17, but will be 18 by the general election, can I vote in the primary? Nope.
Texas
When? Polls open at 7:00AM and close at 7:00PM, except for El Paso and Hudspeth, where polls close at 8:00PM.
Where? Find your polling place here.
Delegates up for grabs: 228
Who's favored? Sanders has a small lead on Biden.
Need ID at the polls? Yes, see a list of valid forms of ID here.
Same day voter registration? Nope, registration closed February 3. Check if you're already registered here.
Do I have to be registered as a Democrat to participate? Nope, Texas has open primaries.
What if I won't be in the state on Tuesday? The application to apply for an absentee ballot in Texas is 11 days before election day. Absentee ballots must be postmarked by election day, and received the day after.
If I'm 17, but will be 18 by the general election, can I vote in the primary? Nope.
Utah
When? Polls open at 7:00AM and close at 8:00PM.
Where? Find your polling place here.
Delegates up for grabs: 29
Who's favored? Sanders is a solid 10 points ahead of Bloomberg and won the state from Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Need ID at the polls? Yes, see valid forms here.
Same day voter registration? Yes, you can register at the polls.
Do I have to be registered as a Democrat to participate? Nope, Utah is an open primary.
What if I won't be in the state on Tuesday? The last day to request an absentee ballot is seven days before an election, and they must be postmarked no later than the day before the election.
If I'm 17, but will be 18 by the general election, can I vote in the primary? Nope.
Utah
When? 7:00AM to 7:00PM.
Where? Find your polling place here.
Delegates up for grabs: 16
Who's favored? Polls show Sanders has upwards of 50% support in his homestate.
Need ID at the polls? Only first-time voters need to present ID. See valid forms here.
Same day voter registration? Yes, you can register and cast a ballot on the day of the election.
Do I have to be registered as a Democrat to participate? Nope, Vermont is an open primary.
What if I won't be in the state on Tuesday? Absentee ballots can be requested up to one day before the election, and are due on Election Day.
If I'm 17, but will be 18 by the general election, can I vote in the primary? Yes!
Maine
When? Polls open at 8:00AM and close at 8:00PM, though some will open by 6:00AM.
Where? Find your polling place here.
Delegates up for grabs: 24
Who's favored? Sanders has a solid lead.
Need ID at the polls? Not unless you're a first time voter, or registering to vote.
Same day voter registration? Yes! Just bring a piece of mail or bill that proves your residence in the city.
Do I have to be registered as a Democrat to participate? No, if you're unaffiliated you can register with the party day-of.
What if I won't be in the state on Tuesday? The deadline to request an absentee ballot was Thursday. All ballots must be received by 8:00AM on election day.
If I'm 17, but will be 18 by the general election, can I vote in the primary? Yes!
Virginia
When? Polls open at 6:00AM and close at 7:00PM.
Where? Find your polling place here.
Delegates up for grabs: 99
Who's favored? Biden has a strong lead.
Need ID at the polls? Yes, see valid forms here.
Same day voter registration? Nope, registration closes 22 day before Election Day.
Do I have to be registered as a Democrat to participate? Nope, Virginia is an open primary.
What if I won't be in the state on Tuesday? The deadline to request an absentee ballot was February 25. Voted ballots must be received by 7:00PM on Election day.
If I'm 17, but will be 18 by the general election, can I vote in the primary? Nope.
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