map credit: dailykos.com
What
is Super Tuesday?
“Super
Tuesday,” which is scheduled for March 1, refers to the day when a dozen states
(and one territory) will hold their nominating contests this year. Generally,
“Super Tuesday” is the unofficial name for a Tuesday during the presidential
primary election when the largest number of states hold their nominating
contests.
Which
states are voting on Super Tuesday?
Alabama,
Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas,
Vermont and Virginia will hold contests for both Republicans and Democrats.
Republicans in Alaska will hold caucuses. Democrats in Colorado will hold their
caucuses as well. Finally, Democrats in American Samoa are also holding their
nominating contest.
When
do polls close on Super Tuesday?
Voting
occurs throughout the day, but polls will close at different times. Polls in
Alabama, Georgia, Vermont and Virginia close at 7 p.m. (all times Eastern).
Massachusetts, Oklahoma and Tennessee close their polls at 8 p.m. Most Texas
polls close at 8, but a few in the state’s western region will close an hour
later. Arkansas' polls close at 8:30 p.m. Minnesota’s caucuses begin at 8. Alaska’s
caucuses close around midnight.
What
is the “SEC Primary”?
The
“SEC Primary” is a nickname for Super Tuesday and is an ode to the Southeastern
Conference, an athletic conference that includes universities in many of the
Southern states holding their contests on Tuesday. The heavy concentration of
Southern states in Tuesday’s primaries—Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee
and Texas—gives a regional flavor to the voting, hence the alternate name.
How
many delegates are at stake on Super Tuesday?
661
Republican delegates will be allocated, based on Super Tuesday, and 865
delegates for Democrats.
How
are Super Tuesday delegates distributed?
Under
party rules, no state holding its primary before March 15 can do a
winner-take-all allocation of delegates, meaning that all Super Tuesday states
will divide up their delegates in some way. In some states, that’s close to
directly proportional to voter results, whereas others have a
“winner-take-most” allocation structure or minimum vote thresholds for scoring
delegates.
More here.
Gateway Pundit is already reporting on irregularities at the polls in Texas.
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