Voters are being asked to navigate curfews, health concerns and a sharp increase in mail balloting on Tuesday as elections take place from Maryland to Montana.

The four states were originally scheduled to vote in April but delayed their contests because of the coronavirus outbreak. Pennsylvania offers the day’s biggest trove of delegates and represents a high-profile test case for Republicans and Democrats working to strengthen their operations in one of the most important general election battlegrounds.

“We think we’re prepared,” Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy Patton Mills said. “Thank goodness we have the opportunity of working this out in the primary because we don’t know where we’ll be with the pandemic in November.”

Joe Biden needs to win 89 per cent of all delegates at stake on Tuesday to formally clinch the nomination, but his role as his party’s clear presidential nominee is not in danger should he fall short.

With a dominant showing on Super Tuesday in early March, the former vice president pushed out all his major opponents. He will almost certainly secure the needed delegates later in the month if necessary.

Still, Tuesday offers a historic opportunity for the 77-year-old Democrat, who is waging his third presidential campaign and who hopes to amass as many delegates as possible to show strength before going up against President Donald Trump.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is not actively campaigning, having suspended his operation and endorsed Biden, but his name will appear on the ballots. On the eve of Tuesday’s primaries, senior adviser Jeff Weaver encouraged progressives to vote for Sanders anyway.

“People who support Bernie Sanders and his agenda, who want to maximize the influence of progressives at the convention, should cast their vote for Bernie Sanders,” Weaver said, reminding voters that the Vermont senator is seeking leverage to shape the party’s platform and rules.

The comments serve as a reminder that Biden may have no legitimate Democratic rivals remaining but must still win over sceptical activists from his party’s left flank, who worry he’s too close to the political establishment.

Party unity will likely be an afterthought this week, however, as more immediate health and safety concerns dominate the national conversation.

The coronavirus death toll has surged past 100,000 nationwide, and thousands of new cases are reported each day. At the same time, several major cities, including some voting Tuesday, are grappling with protests following the killing of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for several minutes.

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