March 5 (UPI) — Voters are casting ballots in 16 states to select the Republican and Democratic nominees for the 2024 presidential election on Super Tuesday.
It’s the single biggest day in the nominating process. More than one-third of Republican and Democratic delegates will be awarded.
Thirteen states are holding nominating contests for both major parties. Alaska and Utah are holding caucuses for the Republican Party. Iowa will announce the results of its mail-only Democratic primary that was conducted in January. American Samoa is holding a Democratic primary.
President Joe Biden has earned 206 of 208 delegates for the Democratic Party. There are 1,420 delegates to be awarded Tuesday for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 19. To win the nomination a candidate needs 1,969 delegates.
Two delegates were left uncommitted from Michigan’s Democratic primary. More than 15% of votes were “uncommitted” after Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., called for a protest vote over Biden’s support of Israel. Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American elected to Congress, called for a protest vote to voice support for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
Former President Donald Trump has 244 delegates to former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley’s 43. Trump has every Republican primary and caucus coming into the day except for the District of Columbia, which Haley won on Sunday. On Tuesday, 865 delegates will be decided for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 15.
Trump or Haley needs 1,215 of the 2,429 total delegates to win the Republican nomination.
California and Texas will award the largest share of delegates for both parties on Tuesday. Democrats will seat 424 from California and 244 from Texas. The count for Republicans will be 169 from California and 161 from Texas.
Poll closing will vary state-to-state. For instance, polls close in Alabama at 7 p.m. EST, Arkansas at 8:30 p.m. EST and California at 11 p.m. EST. Polls in Alaska close at midnight EST.
The rules around who can vote in which party’s contest also vary by state. In general, voters may only participate in one party’s nominating process. In some cases this is based on being registered with that party.
