The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1956-01-26
N-a--,-----'
| = our
| Election
| HsGNNg o Q .
l. By Ted w. EgoWE
Secretary OF Stale Of Ohio

| lie CONSTITUTION vi tie SLdlt
Of Ohio requires all the delegates
| from this state to the National
Convention Of political parties to
be chosen by direct vote Of the
electors. One desiring to be a
candidate as a delegate must
state his first and second choices
for the presidency and such pre-
ferences are printed upon the
primary ballot beneath the name
Of the candidate. However, the
law prohibits the name Of a
choice being used without his
| written consent.
The number of delegates to the
conventions Of both major parties
| for the nomination of candidates
for President and Vice President
varies. This variation is due to
different apportionment methods
adopted by the national COM
| mittees, thus it is entirely pos
sible that one political party may
have twice the number of dele
gates to a national convention as
| the other political party.
| Official notification has been
received by the Secretary of
States office from the Republi-
can party that Ohio will be en-
titled to send Sc delegates and
56 alternates to the Republican
| National Convention held on
! August 90. Ten of the delegates
and alternates will be voted upon
| by the electors of the state at
| large. The remaining 46 dele
| gates and alternates will be
| elected by congressional districts
two from each Of the % con-
gressional districts.
| This office has not yet received
official notification from Demo
cratic National Headquarters re-
! garding the number of delegates
and alternateS. Ohio will be en-
| titled to send TO that convention
| Although many states link
| alternates to particular delegates
| Ohio has not made any such
provision.
| There will be no Write-in space
provided on the primary ballot
for a person to write in the name
! OF a person as his choice for
delegate or alternate to {
national party convention. The
law provides that blank space.
be provided on a primary ballot
for all offices which are tc be
filled by nomination. Inasmuct
as delegates and alternates are
elected, as distinguished from
nominated, at the primary cl"c
ton we "re not rermitted t
,prc2criho a ballot with hlanb
spaces for this office.
Presidential electors, as dis
tinguished from delegates an(
alternates to national conven
tiOns Of the political parties, are
not nominated by the public.
The number Of presidential
electors IS set in the Constiu
ton Of the United States, Whici
provides that each state Shal
E appoint in such manner as tn,
2 Legislature thereof may direc
a number Of electors equal /;
| the whole number Of Senator
and Representatives 10 Whic.
the state may be entitled in III,
Congress. The presidential cleo
tors in Ohio are 25 in number
there being % congressional dis
trlctS and Senators.
Presidential electors are nOmi
mated at the state convention o
each political party as candidate
to be voted for at the mex
succeeding general election
Formerly, the names of each o
these presidential electors wer
required to be placed upon 1h
ballot at the general election
along with the names of tn
, candidates for the office o
President and Vice Presiden
selected at the national conVen
f ton Of each political party. Du
, to the fact that the party con
VentiOnS were being held at SuCI
a late date this year, the Legis
lature by amending the statut
, | prescribed that the presidentia
ballot should not carry the name
! of the presidential electors. Il
. this manner ballot could be sup
piled to absent and disabled
voters and armed service voter
at the earliest possible date. Tn
l Legislature has also provided
l that presidential ballot be pres
cribed by the Secretary of Stat
/ rs days before the election, in
stead Of at the time other of
l ficial ballots are prescribed b.
| the. Secretary on the Goth da
I before the election Under tn
I former law it would have bee
impossible to prescribe the presi
l dental ballot on the Both da
/ due to the late convention date