Voting begins in 15 states in the US

As the calendar moves toward the 60th Presidential Election to be held in the US on November 5, voters in 15 states and one territory will cast their ballots for their preferred candidates.

Voters are heading to the polls today in Alabama, Alaska (Republican Party), Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia, as well as the territory of American Samoa (Democratic Party).

The primary election process, which began in Iowa on January 15 and in which Democratic and Republican candidates compete to become their party's presidential nominee, will end on June 8.

Subsequently, the parties' presidential candidates will be officially determined and announced at the Republican Party convention in Milwaukee on July 15-18 and at the Democratic Party convention in Chicago on August 19-22.

WHERE DOES THE NAME SUPER TUESDAY COME FROM?

Since presidential elections in the US are traditionally held on a Tuesday and primary elections in most states are also held on Tuesdays, the day when the highest number of state elections are concentrated is called "Super Tuesday."

"Super Tuesday," which has been a fixture in American politics since the 1984 presidential elections and is determined each year based on the states' election calendars at the end of February or the beginning of March, sees approximately one-third of the total delegates distributed among the candidates.

For this reason, it is considered a certainty that those who emerge victorious from "Super Tuesday" will win their party's presidential nomination.

Since the candidacy of current President Joe Biden is already established among Democrats and only the party convention in August is awaited, all eyes are on Trump this year.

Trump, who is far ahead of his rival Nikki Haley, is expected to emerge from "Super Tuesday" with a comfortable and decisive victory, clarifying his position as Biden's opponent in the presidential race.

WHAT DO THE POLLS SHOW?

According to current polls following the US primary process, Trump appears to be far ahead of Haley with voter support reaching 80 percent in Alabama. Similarly, Trump, who is unrivaled in Arkansas, is leading the race with 55 percent in California, 76 percent in Minnesota, 45 percent in North Carolina, and 55 percent in Virginia.

Trump, who is unrivaled in the southern states of Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Utah, has 75 percent support from Republican voters in Texas, one of the country's largest states.

Haley, who has not yet dropped out of the race, appears to have the support of 10 to 15 percent of moderate Republicans and independents in all these states.

As for the Democrats, since Biden has already announced his candidacy and has no serious rival, he is essentially going through this entire primary process as a "formality."

DELEGATE COUNTS

It has been observed that for many years, the winners of "Super Tuesday" in both the Democratic and Republican parties have succeeded in becoming their party's presidential nominee in that year's race.

In this year's "Super Tuesday," it will be determined which candidates will receive 874 delegates from the Republican Party and 1439 delegates from the Democratic Party.

While the number of delegates Trump has collected in the primaries held to date is 244, his rival Haley has only been able to win 24 delegates. Trump is expected to clearly demonstrate his superiority with today's elections.

News Source: AA