Presidential Preference Primary Tuesday, March 12
The polls open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, March 12, as Georgia voters cast ballots for their pick of a presidential candidate within their political party.
The Presidential Preference Primary allows voters to select their preferences for candidates they wish to represent their parties in the nationwide General Election in November. Georgia is an open primary state, meaning voters can choose the party’s ballot they wish to vote. This decision does not register the voter with that party. In a primary election, if a candidate does not achieve the majority of votes (50%+1), there will be a primary runoff election.
Vying for the Republican nomination for President is former President Donald Trump, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, and Texas businessman Ryan Binkley. Fellow former continued from page
legislators Ron DeSantis and Chris Christie, as well as South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, were in the fight for the nomination until recently when they announced the suspension of their campaigns.
In previous primaries throughout the nation, Trump has come out on top, winning between 51%-55% of the vote in New Hampshire and Iowa. Haley earned 43% of the vote in New Hampshire, and split the vote for 19% of the ballots cast in the Iowa Republican primary. In Nevada, Trump swept the competition, earning 99.1% of the total votes, and Binkley followed, taking home 0.9% of the state vote.
The South Carolina Republican Caucus voted to give Trump 94% of its support, while Haley earned 6% of the vote as she carried one of the state’s seven congressional districts.
In total, of the 1,215 delegate votes needed to secure the nomination, Trump has collected 122 delegate votes, while Haley has so far amassed 24 delegate votes.
As for the Democratic Party, President Joe Biden, U.S. Representative Dean Phillips (Minnesota), and author/speaker Marianne Williamson are vying for the nomination.
In the Presidential Preference Primary in New Hampshire, Biden swept the race, earning 66.8% of the party’s vote, while Phillips trailed with 19.6%, and Williamson took home 4%. In the recent Nevada Democratic Presidential Preference Primary, Biden won a landslide victory, garnering 89.3% of the votes.
In South Carolina, the state Democratic Caucus voted to award all 55 available delegates to Biden. He has a shutout lead, as he has garnered 200 of the needed 1,910 delegate votes to secure the nomination, while his competitors have collected none.
The polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Tuesday within each county, as voters travel to their assigned precinct to cast their ballots. To find out your precinct location, visit https://mvp.sos.ga.gov or call your local Board of Elections and Registrar’s office.
