Vote Yourself
Primary primer
By John Ross
Though Super Tuesday occurs about a month before Ohio's primary election, delegates from the Buckeye State will be crucial to the remaining candidates. Like most years, winning Ohio will factor into both the presidential primary and the general election.
At stake in Ohio are 161 Democratic delegates and 88 Republican delegates. Dems need 2,025 to win, and GOP candidates need 1,191.
It's probably been a while since your last civics class, so while you're planning to hit the primary polls on March 4, let's recount the basics of eligibility. You can vote if:
- You're a U.S. citizen.
- You turn 18 on or before the election.
- You'll be a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days before the election.
- You're not in jail for a felony conviction.
- You haven't been declared incompetent for voting purposes by a probate court.
- You have not been permanently disenfranchised for violations of the election laws.
The rest is a bit more complicated, especially during primary season. But here's the most important thing: To vote in the March primary, you have to register by Monday, February 4.
Official voter information, FAQs and mail-in ballots can be found at these two sites:
Ohio Secretary of State
Web: sos.state.oh.us
Franklin County Board of Elections
Web: vote.franklincountyohio.gov
Affairs to Remember
February 4: Last day to register if you want to vote in the primary election
March 1: Applications by mail for absentee ballots for the primary must be received by noon
March 4: Ohio primary election for both parties. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; absentee ballots must be received by boards of elections by 7:30 p.m.
October 6: Last day to register for the general election
November 1: Applications by mail for absentee ballots for the election must be received by noon
November 4: General election. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; absentee ballots must be received by boards of elections by 7:30 p.m.
Poll Position
On February 5, the day dubbed Super Tuesday, the Democratic Party will hold 23 primaries or caucuses; the Republican Party will hold 21. Here are the total number of delegates pledged to each candidate going into the behemoth of the primary season.
Barack Obama: 63
Hillary Clinton: 48
John McCain: 95
Mitt Romney: 67
Mike Huckabee: 26
Source: CNNPolitics.com
Blog Log
Right Angle Blog
Web: rightangleblog.com
This leading Republican site is as partisan as they come, but diligent in discussing candidates and issues specific to Ohio. This week, it looks at several newspaper endorsements and Ohio's importance after Super Tuesday.
ProgressOhio
Web: progressohio.org
Basically a clearinghouse for Democratic blogs across the state, this compiles opinions coming from Ohio's three big cities. This week, stories covered unpledged delegates and John Edwards' chances of becoming the attorney general.
Ballot Buzzwords
"Open and closed primaries"
In an open primary, voters can vote in either party's primary, regardless of party affiliation. In a closed primary, voters can cast a ballot only in the primary of the party they're registered with. Ohio has a modified closed primary. Primary voters can choose a Republican or Democratic ballot, regardless of how they voted in the past. However, their ballot choice effectively registers them with a certain party. Voters can request an "issues-only" ballot to remain unaffiliated.
Vote Yourself '08
Too often, the political process can seem daunting, confusing and downright ridiculous to younger voters. Alive hopes to make the election process easier to understand and the issues more relevant to our readers. We'll be running regular columns on the election and various topics discussed on the campaign trail. If you've got a question you want answered, click to ColumbusAlive.com/voteyourself
January 31, 2008
Copyright ? 2008 Columbus Alive, Inc. All rights reserved.
