Democratic primary results: Joe Biden defeats Bernie Sanders in key states, making him clear frontrunner

When do the polls close?

Here are the times in all six states, thanks to Al.com:

• Washington – 11 p.m. EST
• Michigan – 9 p.m.; 8 p.m. in counties
• Missouri – 8 p.m. ET
• Mississippi – 8 p.m. ET
• Idaho – 11 p.m. ET
• North Dakota – 8 p.m. ET

Who are the celebrities backing?

The Independent's Clemence Michallon has got you covered:

Everything is on the line for Bernie Sanders tonight

Here's The Independent's Andrew Naughtie on what tonight's crucial vote means for the two leading candidates, as votes are set to begin coming in from across the country:

Breaking news: Joe Biden projected to win Mississippi 

The former vice president has already thanked his supporters in the state in a tweet posted to his profile just moments ago:

Ooph - CNN incorrectly suggests a win for Bernie Sanders

When it comes to live television, mistakes can happen - but this must have felt like a gut punch for some Sanders supporters:

A group of nearly 40 staffers who worked for Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign has endorsed Bernie Sanders in an open letter, calling on their supporters to "persist together" in the battle for the White House.

In a letter published to Medium on Tuesday titled “Team Warren for Bernie Sanders”, the group of organisers and campaign directors stated their goals included working “to consolidate those who are ready to jump from Warren to Sanders immediately and build a community to facilitate the transition”. 

The campaign staffers also said they wanted to reach out to Ms Warren’s supporters and urged them to support the Vermont senator in his bid against former Vice President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination. 

Those new forms of outreach, the letter stated, would use the foundation built by Ms Warren’s campaign and “the grassroots networks that we have cultivated” throughout the Democratic primaries. 

Story to come...

What states are voting - and who is winning?

Here's a live map with all the information you need to know about tonight's crucial vote:

Breaking news: Joe Biden has been projected to win Michigan by numerous outlets. 

The former vice president's campaign said in a statement: "Just one week after we won ten states on Super Tuesday, we’re already on our way to another great election night tonight.”

Joe Biden continues winning streak

Here's The Independent's Andrew Buncombe with more about Biden's three early wins during Super Tuesday part two:

Why this Mississippi mayor is voting for Bernie Sanders

The Independent's Alex Woodward spoke to Chokwe Antar Lumumba of Jackson about the progressive senator's bid for the presidency, and why he was supporting his candidacy:

"When people asked me how I felt the morning after Donald Trump was elected, I told them, 'I woke up in Mississippi,'" Lumumba tells The Independent. "When we're told the country is experiencing success economically, or we're told that we're dealing with the recession — we don't feel it in Mississippi. We're always at the bottom. We're at the bottom when it comes to wealth, education and health, and none of those things are coincidental."

The state's poor health outcomes also underline his support for a Medicare for All, Sanders' signature policy plan to guarantee equal access to healthcare for all Americans through a nationalised platform.

"If the right to vote was the struggle of the 20th century, the right to healthcare must be the struggle for the 21st century," Lumumba says. "We look at it like it's some outlandish goal when nations all around us are doing it. ... The value of a human life should not be attached to your net worth."