Mainers to cast ballots in Super Tuesday presidential primaries, vaccinations referendum

Maine voters will participate in the largest, most consequential primary day of the 2020 presidential elections on Tuesday and also decide whether to keep or reject a law on mandatory childhood vaccinations.

This will be the first presidential primary election since Maine dropped the more complicated and time-consuming caucus system. And while the state hasn’t received much in-person attention from the candidates, Maine’s participation in the Super Tuesday primaries means registered Democrats will be casting their ballots at at time when their party’s nomination contest is still wide open.

“I think people are excited to go out and vote,” said Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, who is a state co-chairman of the Bernie Sanders campaign. “I don’t think they like the way the country is going right now.”

Registered Democrats will have their choice of six candidates on Tuesday’s ballot who are still actively campaigning for the party’s nomination: Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg, Tulsi Gabbard, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Tom Steyer and Pete Buttigieg dropped out over the weekend following the primary in South Carolina. Biden’s campaign appeared to be re-energized after his landslide win there, giving his supporters more hope headed into Super Tuesday.