January 15, 2008 Presidential Primary

Voter Guide On The January 15, 2008
Michigan Democratic Presidential Primary

1. Voters will vote at their regular polling places between 7 A.M. and 8 P.M.
2. Voters can vote by absentee ballot if they meet one of the requirements - out of town, age 60 or older, disability, etc.
3. The deadline to register to vote is 30 days before January 15, 2008 or December 17, 2007.
4. In order to vote at a polling place, a voter must show a photo ID or sign a statement that they do not have a photo ID with them. Absentee voters do not have to produce a photo ID.
5. Voters will be asked whether they want a Democratic or Republican ballot, and a record will be made of which ballot they take.
6. The voter's choice of candidate will be secret as in all public elections.
7. The Democratic ballot will have 6 choices
   

   Hillary Clinton
   Christopher Dodd
   Mike Gravel
   Dennis Kucinich
   Uncommitted
   Write-in

8. A vote for "uncommitted" is a vote to send delegates to the Democratic National Convention who are not committed or pledged to any candidate. Those delegates can vote for any candidate they choose at the Convention.
9. Supporters of Joe Biden, John Edwards, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson are urged to vote "uncommitted " instead of writing in their candidates' names because write-in votes for those candidates will not be counted.

See Mark Brewer Video on the Michigan Primary

To The Editor:

This letter provides some guidance to voters on the upcoming January 15, 2008 Michigan Democratic Presidential Primary in which we encourage voters to participate.

In many ways, this election will be like any other public election. Voters will vote at their regular polling places between 7 A.M. and 8 P.M. Voters can vote by absentee ballot if they meet one of the requirements - out of town, age 60 or older, disability, etc. The deadline to register to vote is 30 days before January 15, 2008 or December 17, 2007. In order to vote at a polling place, a voter must show a photo ID or sign a statement that they do not have a photo ID with them. Absentee voters do not have to produce a photo ID.

However, there will be some different procedures as well.

First, voters will be asked whether they want a Democratic or Republican ballot, and a record will be made of which ballot they take. But the voter's choice of candidate will be secret as in all public elections.

Second, the Democratic ballot will have 6 choices: Hillary Clinton, Christopher Dodd, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, uncommitted and write-in.

A vote for "uncommitted" is a vote to send delegates to the Democratic National Convention who are not committed or pledged to any candidate. Those delegates can vote for any candidate they choose at the Convention.

Supporters of Joe Biden, John Edwards, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson are urged to vote "uncommitted" instead of writing in their candidates' names because write-in votes for those candidates will not be counted.

I encourage all voters to vote in the Democratic Presidential Primary to be part of the process of ending the George Bush era.

Sincerely,

Dave Woodward

Chair, Oakland County Democratic Party