Federal Court ruling muddies primary picture

U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds issued a ruling Wednesday afternoon that threw even more confusion and uncertainly into Michigan’s already muddled Presidential Primary election fiasco.

The ruling struck down as unconstitutional a provision in the law that would give the voter lists from the Jan 15 primary only to the two major political parts and to no others, saying it violated the First Amendment right of other parties to access and to report on information of public interest. The minor political parties had joined with the Metro Times and a political consulting firm to challenge the statute, saying it was illegal because it excluded everyone but the Republican and Democratic parties from accessing the list that should be public record.

The Hillary Clinton campaign quickly seized on the decision, and in a press release they called for Sen. Barack Obama to join her in calling for a new election.

“In the wake of today's court ruling regarding Michigan’s January 15th primary, we urge Senator Obama to join our call for a party-run primary and demonstrate his commitment to counting Michigan's votes,” said Clinton Campaign Manager Maggie Williams.

Mark Grebner, founder of Practical Political Consulting, was the plaintiff in a state lawsuit first filed in Ingham County Circuit Court challenging the provision. He eventually lost the state lawsuit in the Michigan Supreme Court on a split vote. Following that a separate group filed a new lawsuit in federal court. Grebner said the statute was aimed at companies like his East Lansing company that sells targeted political mailing lists.

“This suit was aimed at me personally,” he said. “It was aimed at my business.”

In a report in the Detroit Free Press, State Elections Director Chris Thomas said the state would not appeal the decision. Grebner said the Secretary of State has is treating the election like there was no election at all, based on the ruling.

“The Secretary of State issued a statement saying the election never took place, so she’s not giving out the list to anyone,” he said. “It seems like a bizarre idea to me.”

Spokespersons for the Republican and Democratic parties could not be reached for comment.

WSU Prof: Splitting Michigan presidential delegation may be best solution

Finding a way to seat Michigan’s presidential delegates has dominated the news in the last week, and as it gets closer to the Democratic National Convention in August, any potential solution will be hard to implement.

“This is a real sticky problem,” said Wayne State University political science professor Marjorie Sarbaugh-Thompson. “A lot of people are talking about a lot of different solutions, and all of them have problems.

“We have gotten ourselves in a ditch, and we don’t know how to get out,” she said. Her proposal is to split the Michigan delegation 50-50 between Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama..

Michigan and Florida were penalized by the Democratic National Committee for moving up their presidential primaries to have more of a voice in the selection process and have the candidates address issues facing the two states. The DNC stripped the two states of their delegates because of the early primaries, and the DNC said it would not seat the delegates at the convention in Denver in August if they went forward with the early primaries. With the race between Clinton and Obama so close, Florida and Michigan’s 366 delegates are critical.

Clinton won in Florida, where both candidates’ names were in the ballot, but neither candidate campaigned there during the primary. In Michigan Clinton won, but Obama’s name was not on the ballot. The latest plan floated for Michigan is a mail-in vote, and that would still cost a lot of money.

“I’m concerned if that if they do something slap-dash, it will be suspect,” Sarbaugh-Thompson said.

Sarbaugh-Thompson said the best solution for Michigan is to simply split the delegates 50-50. She said because most states have doled out their delegates via a percentage of the vote instead of a winner-take-all situation, the delegate split has been pretty close even when one candidate was a big winner.

“My personal recommendation has been that, if you look at what happened in Wyoming, where Obama won big with more than 60 percent of the vote but only got seven delegates to her five, it should be split straight down the middle,” she said.

The latest poll has the two candidates almost dead even in Michigan, and Sarbaugh-Thompson said it would seem to make sense to split the delegates.

Sen. Carl Levin is one prominent Michigan Democrat pushing the vote by mail option, as is former U.S. Rep. David Bonior, who was the campaign manager for former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards. That option would not be that expensive. It’s estimated it would cost about a third less than a normal election at no more than $2 million, compared to the $10 million spent on the Jan. 15 Michigan primary. But some of the biggest potential problems include who will count the ballots and what to do with the fact Michigan runs an open primary where the voter does not have to declare a party to vote.

One thing is certain: There is no support in the Michigan Legislature for paying for any kind of do-over with tax money. In a story in the New York Times on Sunday, Gov. Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey and Gov. Edward G. Rendell of Pennsylvania were quoted as saying they would be willing to raise half the $30 million it would take to conduct elections in both Florida and Michigan.

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer said during an interview on Sunday on Grand Rapids TV station WOOD that a caucus is out of the question. He said it would take “millions of dollars” to pull off, but more important is the time factor. Caucuses have been held in Michigan on the Democratic side in the past, and Brewer said it takes nine months to a year of planning and preparation to pull off. The party has two months. Additionally, Brewer said the Obama campaign is against a do-over, and he said the party would need at least 1,000 caucus sites and the people to deal with a voter turnout that could be as high as 2 million people.

“You simply could not run 1,000 sites with just volunteers,” Brewer said. “It just can’t be done, and you would have to hire staff.”

Sarbaugh-Thompson said she is also concerned about the meddling of Republicans in any remaining primaries because they have already chosen their nominee, and there were plenty of crossover votes in Ohio last week.

“Thanks to the Republicans, the process did not end on March 4 Super Tuesday,” she said. “The longer the Democrats keep this going, the less time there is to heal the party.”

The one thing most people agree on is the delegation must be seated. Both states are swing states – although Michigan has been blue since 1992 – and it's doubtful that the White House can be won without winning Florida or Michigan. In addition to the money lost paying for a a do-over election that could be used in the general election, Democrats upset at not being seated would not be very thrilled about helping with the get-out-the-vote activities in November.

Ferraro, first woman on a national presidential ticket, says Michigan should hold do-over primary

LIVONIA -- National political experts Geraldine Ferraro and Bill Kristol weighed in on the hot debate over the Michigan and Florida primaries before a crowd of Michigan political dignitaries Thursday night, with Kristol predicting that Michigan could be voting as late as June for a Democratic presidential nominee and Ferraro calling for a do-over primary in Michigan.

Ferraro, the first woman vice-presidential candidate of a major party, said she thinks the Florida presidential delegates should be seated, but Michigan needs to hold a new vote. Kristol, Weekly Standard editor and conservative pundit, said what Michigan does depends on what happens in the Pennsylvania primary next month. Both states were stripped of their delegates to the national Democratic convention last summer for moving their primary elections ahead in violation of national party rules.

“I must tell you, if I was the attorney representing both states, Florida would be easier,” said Ferraro, who appeared with Kristol at a Michigan Political Leadership Program fund-raising dinner in Livonia. “They have a Republican governor and Legislature, and they can go to the [Democratic convention] credentials committee and say, 'How can we be disenfranchised? It was not our fault.' ”

Kristol said if Sen. Hillary Clinton beats Sen. Barack Obama in Pennsylvania in the April primary – and he thinks she will – the delegate race would be so close the Democratic National Committee would have to do something about Florida and Michigan.

“I predict Sen. Clinton will win in Pennsylvania because she has stopped his meteoric rise,” he said. “You could be voting in June.”

The Michigan Political Leadership Program at Michigan State University recruits, trains and inspires tomorrow’s public policy leaders with a 10-month-long weekend bipartisan curriculum. Ferraro and Kristol spoke separately, then shared the stage to talk about the current presidential election and their participation in past elections.

Ferraro made history as the first woman on a national ticket when she ran with Democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale in 1984. She was a three-term congresswoman, first elected in 1978, representing Queens, N.Y. She was appointed by President Bill Clinton to lead the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Commission in 1994. She is currently a principal in the governmental relations practice of a major law firm.

Besides being editor of the influential, Washington-based political magazine Weekly Standard, Kristol led the Project for the Republican Future, where he helped shape the strategy that produced the 1994 Republican congressional victory. Prior to that, Kristol served as chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle during the administration of the first George Bush and to Secretary of Education William Bennett under President Ronald Reagan. Before coming to Washington in 1985, Kristol taught politics at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

With all of the talk of superdelegates, Ferraro was a member of the Hunt Commission – named after former North Carolina Gov. James Hunt – which came up with the concept. She said the convention fight in 1980 between former President Jimmy Carter and Sen. Edward Kennedy resulted in a Democratic platform that was so liberal that her more moderate and conservative Democratic congressional colleagues refused to run on it or be associated with the president. The result was a Democratic Party in disarray that lost the White House and both houses of Congress to the Republicans.

“Will Rogers said, 'I’m not a member of an organized party, I’m a Democrat,' ” Ferraro said. “It’s funny when a humorist says it, not when it’s true.”

Ferraro helped push the unsuccessful Equal Rights Amendment while she was in Congress, and she makes no bones about being a Clinton supporter. As a prosecutor and vice-presidential candidate, Ferraro displayed a tough exterior in public, and she made it a point never to cry in public. She said when she voted for Clinton on Super Tuesday, she cried.

“I endorsed Hillary Clinton early on, and it has been a very emotional campaign for me,” she said. “When I pulled that lever, I felt that Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton were standing right next to me saying pull that lever for your five granddaughters.”

Ferraro said she thinks if Clinton gets the nomination, Republican women will cross over to vote for her. But she also believes Republican nominee John McCain will have a tough time no matter who the Democratic nominee is.

“No matter who John McCain runs against, it will be an historic first,” she said. “There is a lot of excitement.”

Ferraro also said Obama’s campaign has increased both Democratic voter turnout and interest.

“He is running a very different campaign,” she said. “He has made no mistakes. He is creating a sense of hope, change and inspiration.”

Kristol said it will be a close race in November, but the election has some interesting twists. The voter turnout so far in the primaries has been double what it has been in the past. He said he expects the sometimes-dull national debates to pull in huge TV viewership, and they could be decisive.

“The significant thing about the election is it’s the first time since 1952 that an incumbent president or vice president is not running,” he said. “It’s like an open seat, making it much more volatile and unpredictable.”

Kristol said the Democrats would have to be favored to win because no Republican has held the White House for three consecutive terms in modern times since Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. But Kristol also said that history has shown voters tend to favor the more hawkish candidate when troops are engaged in a war, such as Dwight Eisenhower in 1952, Richard Nixon in 1968 and Bush in 2004.

“It’s hard for any party to hold on to the White House for three terms,” Kristol said. “I don’t think the election will be a referendum on George Bush. It also will not be a referendum on the (Tom) DeLay, (Denny) Hastert and (Bill) Frist Congress. We had that in 2006.”

Online poll unmasks WJR’s bias

Either Detroit radio station WJR-AM 760 is not aware there was also a Democratic primary in Michigan or it’s finally admitting it only caters to the right side of the political spectrum. A recent poll asking people who they plan to vote for during Michigan’s Jan. 15 presidential primary only listed Republican candidates among the choices.

The poll confirmed what many former listeners of the powerful radio station have been saying for years since the station lost the broadcast rights for Detroit’s professional sports teams. To illustrate how conservative the listeners of the 50,000-watt radio station have become with a steady diet of conservative radio hosts, the poll put former conservative Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in second place with 25 percent over Arizona Sen. John McCain with just 10 percent. The real election results were much different, with McCain finishing in second behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with 30 percent of the vote with Huckabee in third with just 16 percent.

The self-proclaimed “Great Voice of the Great Lakes” has become the “Great Conservative Voice of the Great Lakes” with an almost exclusive line-up of conservative hosts that includes Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and Dr. Laura Schlessinger. Even the few local hosts are conservative, and in a poll the Michigan Messenger conducted last October, WJR morning host Frank Beckmann was voted the second most biased commentator or reporter in Michigan. This was an honor Beckmann did not appreciate, and he claimed in numerous emails he was fair and balanced, despite plenty of documentation to the contrary.

SC win bodes well for McCain in Florida with its heavy military population

It would seem surprising that a U.S. Senator from out west in Arizona would beat out a southern Governor in the heart of Dixie, but that’s what Arizona Senator John McCain did in winning the South Carolina Republican Presidential Primary Saturday over former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

There had to be some tension in the Straight Talk Express camp after finishing a distant third in Nevada on Saturday with just 13 percent of the vote behind the winner, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with 51 percent and Ron Paul with 14 percent. But South Carolina, with its heavy military veterans and U.S. Navy population, came through for the former Navy pilot with 33 percent of the vote to Huckabee’s 30 percent and another southern favorite son, former Tennessee U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, with 16 percent.

South Carolina is where McCain met a bitter defeat in 2000 that destroyed his presidential hopes against then Texas Gov. George W. Bush. The win has to give the McCain camp a good feeling going in to the upcoming Jan. 29 contest in Florida that also has a heavy military presence.

McCain is a graduate of the Naval Academy, and after receiving his commission, McCain earned his Naval Aviator wings and was flying combat missions over North Vietnam from U.S. aircraft carriers. On his 23rd bombing mission over North Vietnam in 1967, he was shot down and badly injured and spent five years as a POW.

Charleston, S.C. – where McCain set up his election headquarters – once boasted one of the largest naval stations and naval shipyards on the East coast before it was closed during the last base realignment, but many naval veterans chose to retire nearby or stay there after they were discharged to work for a military contractor. One of only two Naval Weapons Stations on the East Coast is located just outside of Charleston in Goose Creek.

Many Navy veterans are well aware of the McCain name, and both his father and grandfather were decorated and respected Navy Admirals. In fact, one of the most powerful naval ships in the world is named for them. The USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) is an Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyer home ported in Yokosuka, Japan. But that is the second Navy ship to bear the McCain name, and the first USS John S. McCain (DDG-36) was commissioned in 1953, serving as a Cold War warrior until it was decommissioned in 1978.

Florida has one of the largest naval bases on the East Coast at Mayport near Jacksonville with two aircraft carriers stationed there, as well as two Naval Air Stations in the Jacksonville area, and Navy bases in Key West, Orlando, Pensacola, Milton and in nearby Kings Gay, Ga.

Romney has a large lead in delegates with 72 to McCain’s 38 followed by Huckabee with 29, but they have a long way to go to reach the magic number of 1,191 to wing the nomination. Florida is the most populace state to hold a primary so far, and the delegates picked up there will be go a long way toward reaching the magic number. However, Florida is in a similar boat as Michigan, and they were penalized with the loss of delegates by the national parties for moving their primary up early just like Michigan.

The polls say McCain has the early lead in Florida with 26 percent of the vote over former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani with 22 percent according to CNN. Giuliani has bet the house on Florida with its large population of transplanted New Yorkers, and Florida is the only place he has campaigned, for the most part.

Both parties will then turn their attention to "Super Tuesday" on February 5, when 22 states hold their primaries.

McCain wows them at Livingston County town hall meeting

GENOA TOWNSHIP - Arizona Sen.. John McCain and the Straight Talk Express made a stop in Livingston County’s Genoa Township Sunday for a town hall meeting where he addressed a standing room only crowd on everything from Iraq to the Great Lakes Compact.

The Republican presidential candidate received a warm welcome from the large crowd that jammed inside the Crystal Gardens ballroom, and McCain spoke for more than an hour and answered numerous questions from the audience, taking his message to Michigan voters.

“Michigan’s best days are ahead of us,” he said. “It has been hard and it has been tough for Michigan, but I believe Michigan will lead the way in green technology.
“Michigan saved the word in World War II, and they can do it again,” he said.

McCain won the crowd over with his humor and one-liners, even at the expense of himself and Michigan as he highlighted its economic problems and the loss of population in the Great Lakes state

“I love Arizona, and I am grateful for all of the Michiganders who have come there,” he said. “I just don’t want you to think you have to come there.”

He told the crowd he hopes he is not following in the steps of other Arizona favorite sons who have run for the presidency and failed in their quest, including the father of modern conservatism Sen. Barry Goldwater, former Gov. Bruce Babbitt and Congressman Morris Udall.

“Arizona may be the only state in America where the mothers don’t tell their sons they can grow up to be the president,” McCain joked.

McCain brought an impressive group of people to campaign with him aboard the large Straight Talk Express bus, including the co-chairs of McCain’s Michigan Steering Committee; Michigan Republican National Committeeman Chuck Yob and Republican National Committeewoman Holly Hughes. Yob served as the MC, and he led the crowd in chants of “Mac is Back.”

“You know that Michigan is McCain country, and he picked up five more Michigan newspaper endorsements today,” Yob said. “The score was John McCain five, the rest zero.”

In addition to the many local dignitaries and politicians on hand for the rally were U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph; former Republican . Congressman Joe Schwarz and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has been stumping for McCain across the state.

“We want someone who keeps it real, like the young people like to say,” Pawlenty said. “One of the values we have here in the Midwest is we want a straight shooter.”

It was not all sweets and flowers for McCain, and he was grilled on his immigration policy, and his immigration stance has led to protests and anger at some stops on the campaign trail.

McCain said he wants to secure the borders but offer illegal immigrants some kind of way to become citizens in a sane and humane way that includes some kind of punishment and redemption. He was asked by one audience member to do away with the law that allows the child of an illegal immigrant to automatically become a U.S. citizen

“I want people treated on a case-by-case basis, or at least by category,” he said. “I’m not going to call up a soldier who is serving in Iraq and tell them I’m deporting his mother.”

McCain was also asked to defend his position for voting against making the Bush tax cuts permanent.

“If you cut taxes you have to cut spending, or you will be in the same fiscal instability we are in now,” he said. “We cannot have this fiscal instability and put the future burden on the backs of our children.”

McCain has broke with the Republicans and angered some of the base with his position on global warming to the point he is called a liberal, but he also believes in promoting nuclear power as a way to combat climate change.

“I believe in climate change,” he said. “I will argue that with anybody.”

McCain pledged he would put a stop to the kinds of pork barrel spending that has led to things like Republican Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska’s “Bridge to Nowhere.”

“In my 24 years I have never received or proposed a pork barrel project for my state,” McCain said. “I will veto any pork barrel project that crosses my desk as president.”

McCain said he initially opposed the Iraq strategy that earned him criticism from his own party, but he is now convinced the surge and current strategy in Iraq are working. He believes Iraq is the key to defeating Al-Qaeda, and he thinks the U.S. should do everything possible to capture Osama Bin Laden.

“I will follow him to the gates of hell,” he said. “I will get Bin Laden, and I know how to do it.”

McCain said part of his war on terror will include increasing health care for the vets actually fighting the war and who have served America in the Armed Forces in the past.

“We are going to have to expand the VA,” he said. “I’m going to give every vet a plastic card they can take to any doctor to get health care.”

McCain continues to rack up important Michigan endorsements

Sen. John McCain picked up some interesting endorsements last week in Michigan, including prominent state newspapers and Michigan politicians.

Polls show McCain and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney are neck-and-neck here as the primary fast approaches. McCain already won the nod of Michigan’s two largest newspapers with the endorsement of the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, and on Sunday he added the Jackson Citizen Patriot and the Livingston County Daily Press and Argus to the endorsement tally.

The Citizen Patriot said this about McCain, “Fundamentally, he is a straight shooter who has stood by our involvement in Iraq and the need for immigration reform even if it has cost him votes.” The Citizen Patriot is owned by Advance Publications, the same company that owns the Ann Arbor News, the Bay City Times, the Flint Journal, the Grand Rapids Press, the Kalamazoo Gazette, the Muskegon Chronicle and the Saginaw News.

The Press & Argus endorsement is not surprising because it is owned by Gannett, which also owns the Detroit Free Press. The P & Argus said McCain “is a solid conservative whose views resonate with Livingston County Republicans. He is a pragmatic, tested politician who will forge necessary alliances, whether with Democrats when bipartisan solutions are needed or with other nations in battling terrorism.”

McCain also picked up the endowments of one of Michigan’s most respected political leaders on Thursday with the announcement that former Gov. William G. Milliken is endorsing him. Milliken also endorsed McCain in 2000 that helped put McCain over the top in Michigan against then Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Milliken is respected among moderates of both political parties.

According to a column written by syndicated columnist George Weeks – a former Milliken press secretary- in Milliken's hometown paper the Traverse City Record Eagle, Milliken had this to say about McCain, "I have long admired Senator McCain for his straight talk and service to the country. There's a real sense of integrity in the firm positions he takes, even though they are not always popular. I don't agree with him on all issues, but I like his well-earned reputation of saying what he means, and meaning what he says."

Milliken served as the Michigan governor from 1969 to 1982. He served as Lt. Governor with former Gov. George Romney, Mitt Romney’s father, from 1964-1969 until the senior Romney resigned to run for the Republican nomination for President in 1969. The endorsement of someone who served with his father cannot bode well for the junior Romney.

Livingston County’s Michigan Legislative delegation is split on their endorsements. A letter to the editor in the P & A co-signed by state Sen. Valde Garcia, Rep. Joe Hune, as well as the chair of the Livingston County Republican Party and the county sheriff, endorses Romney.

But an even more bizarre letter to the editor appeared in the P & A from Rep. Chris Ward, R-Genoa Township endorsing McCain. The apparent flip-flop has Ward apparently flopping back to McCain.

Ward was one of four state representatives from Michigan to serve as legislative co-chairs of the McCain campaign in September 2006, and Ward was also named co-chair of the Straight Talk America Michigan Legislative Advisory Team. But Ward announced in June 2007 he was resigning from the McCain Campaign and switching his allegiance to former actor and lobbyist Fred Thompson.

It’s unclear why Ward changed his mind, and in the letter Ward says, “His (McCain’s) stand on immigration made me shift my support to former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn. Michigan independents and Republicans need to get to the polls on Tuesday and give John McCain a big victory. Our country would benefit from his leadership.”

FAQ for the Michigan 2008 Presidential Primary

The starts and stops of Michigan’s presidential primary, which saw politicians play with the House Bill that moved it up and made it a primary instead of a caucus, saw some of the leading Democratic candidates withdraw their names and lawsuits filed to stop the election. This may have lead to many Michigan voters being confused about Tuesday’s primary. These Frequently Asked Questions will address any concerns.

Where do I vote?
Registered voters will vote at the same polling place they vote for all normal elections. The Michigan Secretary of State has an online Voter Information Center where you can find your polling place complete with a map by simply typing in your name and where you live.

Who is administering this election?
This is a state-run primary election and will be administered by county, township and city clerks.

What is the difference between a presidential caucus and a presidential primary election?A primary election is run under state law and paid for by the state, while a caucus is a nomination process paid for by a political party and run under its rules.

What are the voting hours?The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 15, but state law says all people in line when the polls close will be allowed to vote.

I want to vote on Jan. 15, but I have not registered to vote yet, so can I still register to vote or register at the polls?No. Michigan election law requires all voters register at least 30 days before the election. You would have had to register by Dec. 17, 2007 to vote in this election.

How do I vote absentee?
If you are a registered voted and expect to be out of town on election day, are age 60 or over, are disabled, unable to vote without assistance at the polls, are in jail awaiting arraignment or trial, unable to attend the polls due to religious reasons or you are appointed to work as an election inspector in a precinct outside of your precinct of residence, you may vote by absentee ballot under Michigan election law. People meeting that criteria have until 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, to request a ballot at their local city or township clerk's office, and they must be returned to or received no later than 8 p.m. on election night at the local clerk's office.

What do I need to bring to the polls?
You must have in your possession and show a Michigan driver’s license, a Michigan ID card or any other current picture ID to vote. If you do not have those, you will be allowed to vote by signing an affidavit saying you are not in possession of picture identification before you are issued a ballot.

Is this a closed or open primary?
No party registration is required to vote. However, you must declare a party affiliation to vote, and you will be given either a Democratic or Republican ballot. You can only vote in the Republican primary or the Democrat primary – not both. As in all elections, your vote is kept private, but which party you choose will be recorded.

Who are the Democrats appearing on the ballot?
The Democratic ballot will have five choices: Hillary Clinton, Christopher Dodd, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich and Uncommitted. However, Dodd has already dropped out of the race.

Who are the Republicans on the ballot?
The Republican ballot will include: Sam Brownback, Rudy Giuliani, Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, Tom Tancredo and Uncommitted. However, Brownback and Tancredo have dropped out of the race.

What is “Uncommitted”?
A vote for “Uncommitted” is a vote to send delegates to the respective national convention who are not committed or pledged to any candidate. Those delegates can vote for any candidate they choose at the convention.

Hey, where are John Edwards and Barack Obama?
The Democratic National Committee threatened to not seat Michigan delegates because they violated party rules by holding an early primary, and John Edwards, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Bill Richardson withdrew their names in protest of Michigan’s decision to go early. Biden and Richardson have both since dropped out of the race.

Can I just write them in?
No. No one has filed as a write-in in from either party, and any write-in votes will spoil the ballot and be disregarded. The Michigan Democratic Party is urging Edwards and Obama supporters to vote "Uncommitted," and those delegates will be sent to the Democratic National Convention as undecided and can vote for any candidate.

How will Republicans select a presidential candidate?
Republicans will nominate their candidates for President and Vice President and adopt a platform at the 2008 Republican National Convention. The convention will be held in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., Sept. 1-4. Michigan Republicans will send 60 delegates to the convention based on the results of the voting in Michigan’s presidential primary. The bulk of them, 45, will include three from each of Michigan’s 15 congressional districts, plus 10 at large, two bonus and three party leaders.

How will Democrats select a presidential candidate?
Democrats will nominate their candidates for President and Vice President and adopt a platform at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The convention will be held in Denver, Colo., August 25-28. Michigan Democrats will be represented by a delegation of 156 delegates, 21 alternates, 18 convention committee members and four pages.

Local election officials gearing up for Michigan Presidential primary

Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope, like the rest of Michigan, is gearing up for the 2008presidential primary on Jan. 15 that is a first for the state.

Swope said his office staff is putting in some overtime to ensure the election is ready to go after numerous starts and stops for court actions, candidates withdrawing and other things, as well as training election workers. Unlike past elections of any kind in Michigan, voters will have to declare if they want a Republican or Democratic ballot before they vote and a record will be made of that. Swope said he has spent some time with his election workers addressing how to handle that situation.

“It’s a pretty unique election in that you have to declare a party to get a ballot,” he said. “Other states do it, but it’s a tradition in Michigan to keep that secret. I expect my staff to get some flack over it on election day.”

There is a full slate of Republican candidates, but some of the top Democratic candidates have withdrawn their names from the ballot to protest Michigan’s decision to have an early primary in violation of the national party’s rules. Those wishing to vote for former Sen. John Edwards, Sen. Barack Obama or Gov. Bill Richardson should vote “Uncommitted,” and those delegates will be sent to the Democratic National Convention as undecided. Swope cautioned under no circumstances should anyone enter a write-in candidate because the ballot will be spoiled and disregarded.

The polls open at 7 a.m. and will remain open until 8 p.m. Swope said he will have extra workers at the 62 precincts at 43 locations across the city to ensure lines are not long. This is the second election in which voters will be required to show a picture ID card to vote, and Swope said he has incorporated lessons learned from the last election. Voters will be asked for an ID, and if they do not have one, they will be asked to sign an affidavit saying they are not in possession of picture identification before they are issued a ballot.

“We don’t send them back to their car or their house,” Swope said. “We simply have them sign an affidavit.

“I strongly oppose asking for an ID, but that's the law,” he said. “We don’t enforce traffic laws, we enforce election laws.”

Because the election is being held in usually cold January, Swope said he has had a high number of absentee ballots. He sent letters to everyone over age 60 asking them if they wanted an absentee ballot, and so far Swope said he has more then 6,100 requests. People who are over age 60 or will be out of town on election day have until 2 p.m. Saturday to request a ballot at their local city or township clerk's office, and they must be returned to or received no later than 8 p.m. on election night at the local clerk’s office.

Because it is hard to find large groups of people gathered at one place during the cold, winter months, voters can expect various groups at the polls collecting signatures on the day of the primary. Groups trying to get legislative initiatives on the general election ballot include Health Care for Michigan pushing for universal health care, a group pushing a part-time legislature, a group wanting to require every tax increase be put on the ballot and an initiative to make Michigan a so-called right-to-work state. There are also individuals collecting signatures to recall lawmakers who voted last October to both increase the state income tax and implement a sales tax on certain services –- the sale tax has since been repealed -- that helped balance the budget and do away with a $1.8 billon deficit.

“People collecting campaign signatures must follow the same rules as a candidate campaigning at the polls,” Swope said. “They have to be 100 feet away from any egress used by voters.”

Monday is the last day to register for primary

The last day to register to vote in the Jan. 15, 2008 Presidential Primary is 5 p.m. today, Dec. 17, despite last minute maneuvering to stop the disputed primary election.

The deadline to register to vote is 30 days before the election, and that makes the date the close of business today. Absentee voting is already taking place. Registered voters can vote by absentee ballot if they meet one of two requirements - they will be out of town for the election or they are age 60 or older or have a disability that will not allow them to go to the polls. If you meet one of those conditions and have not received an absentee ballot, contact your local county clerk. The applications for absent voter ballots may be obtained by contacting your city or township clerk. Requests for absentee voter ballots must be in writing. On the absentee voter application, voters are reminded that they must check a box to indicate which party’s ballot they would like.