The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1960-04-21

ing returns within a reasonable
| time.
- -
Although statewide and local
contests r alwoys factors in
determining the size of the vote
in any election, if history repeats
itself at the Republican and Dem
ocratic Primaries, May 3, an al
together too small a percentage
Of the eligible Ohio electorate
will 60 to the polls.
Some of this will be due to the
fact that many persons will not
m registration requirements
before the deadline.
But the principle reason, it
seems, is that too many persons
regard the Primaries as party
affairs, which indeed they are,
and do not care to participate in
the selection of party nominees.
This is never understandable on
the part of some people who later
complain prior to a fall election
that there simply isn't much
choice among the candidates."
seeming to fail to realize they
had a fine opportunity at the
Primary to choose better party
representatives.
Another thing which many
people do not realize about a
Primary election, especially those
held in Presidential Election
years, is that the planning by
the Secretary of State and Boards
of Elections for such elections,
the tabulation of votes on election
night and the final compilation in
the Secretary of States office of
eagerly awaited results on cleo
ton night both by the news a
gencies and the public, often re-
quires more effort than in gen.
eral elections. Such is the case
in 1860, because of the number of
candidates involved, etc.
These facts about the coming
Primaries r given for the in
formation they contain = not in
an effort to ''preach" to voters to
get them to take advantage of
their privilege in voting in Prim-
aries : as we'll as to point out
that elections cost every taxpayer
just the same, whether they par
ticipate in them or not.
Our Constitution requires that
voters be citizens of the United
States, and be at least 81 years
of age; and the statutes require
that a voter be a resident of the
county and precinct for forty
days in order to be eligible to
vote at an election. The law per-
mits a person, who will be 81
years of age before the day of
the next general election, to vote
at the primary election preceding
such general election. If you
reside in territory which has
registration, you must have regis
tered prior to March %.
When you present yourself at
the polling place to vote, you
shall announce your full name
and address to the official, and
at a primary election the name
of the political party whose bal
lot you desire to vote. In non
registration precincts you shall
state the county, township, and
precinct in which your residence
is located upon request of the
presiding judge. In registration
precincts the officials check to
see if your registration card is
on file.
After this information is given
to the precinct officials, you will
then write your name and adj
dress at the proper place in the
poll list, except that if you are
unable to write your name and
address you may make your mark
at the place intended for your
name and address and present a
proper Identification. The pre-,
cinct official will attest to your
mark and sign his name as a wit
ness to it. In registration pre-
cincts your signature in the poll
list is compared with your sigma