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| - Ohio's governor called Monday for postponement of the state's presidential primary including the Democratic contest between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, citing emergency measures against the coronavirus pandemic. "It is my recommendation that we postpone in-person voting until June 2, 2020. #COVID19," Governor Mike DeWine tweeted barely 15 hours before polls were to open across the industrial Midwestern state. DeWine, a Republican, said a lawsuit was being filed in an effort to delay the primary. All ballots already submitted by mail or by early voting will count whether or not the election day is switched, officials said. "We cannot tell people to stay inside, but also tell them to go out and vote," DeWine said. Three other states voting Tuesday -- Arizona, Florida and Illinois -- are set to hold their primaries as scheduled. But Kentucky, originally due to vote in May, on Monday announced a delay in its primary until June on coronavirus fears. Tuesday's primaries were being closely watched as an opportunity for frontrunner Biden to consolidate his lead, while a poor showing by Sanders could cause him to quit the race. Should a judge agree to postpone the vote, Ohio would become the third state to delay its primary. Louisiana pushed its April 4 vote to June 20 and Georgia postponed its March 24 primary by nearly two months. After Ohio's move, neighboring Kentucky postponed its vote by five weeks. "These are unprecedented times," Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams said on Twitter. Adams, a Republican, said he and Democratic Governor Andy Beshear "agreed to delay the primary election" until June 23. President Donald Trump said Monday that Americans should avoid groups of more than 10 people, refining suggestions by health experts to avoid gatherings of 50 people or larger. Trump said it was "up to the states" to decide whether to delay their primaries, but ultimately, he said, "I think postponing is unnecessary." The election process "goes to the heart of what we're all about," Trump told reporters. "I hope they do it very safely," the president added. All four states due at the polls Tuesday use a combination of in-person voting and absentee ballots sent by mail. Earlier Monday, Florida, the largest state to vote Tuesday with a large number of delegates at stake, was still on track to hold its primary. "FL Dept of Health has assured healthy Floridians it's safe to work the polls for & vote in Tuesday's election," Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee tweeted. But she stressed on Sunday that voters who have been ordered to self-isolate or who are experiencing symptoms "should not go to the polls," but instead get someone to bring them a vote-by-mail ballot. In Arizona, Governor Doug Ducey said state authorities and election officials were taking "every precaution necessary to protect public health on election day," and were encouraging voters to wash hands carefully before and after entering polling stations to cast ballots. mlm/it
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