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Democrats, Republicans to Hold Primaries on Tuesday, Feb. 12

From staff reports

One week after the hyped-up Super Tuesday, Virginia voters will head to the polls to nominate a presidential candidate on both the Democratic and Republican tickets.

On Tuesday, Feb. 12, Scott County voters will help to nominate a Democratic or Republican candidate for President. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and voters will cast their votes at their normal polling places.

The number of Republicans vying for their party’s nomination has narrowed considerably in the past few weeks. The winner of the Virginia Republican Primary will receive all 63 of the Virginia delegates.

Although many of the candidates listed on the Republican Primary ticket have dropped out, voters will stay the chance to make their choice.

Candidates on the Republican ballot on the Feb. 12 Primary include Ron Paul, John McCain, Fred D. Thompson, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney. Thompson and Giuliani have withdrawn from the race but their names remain on the ballot.

On the Democratic side of the ticket, the ballot will also feature some candidates who have formally dropped their bids for the White House. Candidates on the Democratic Primary Ballot in Virginia are Barack Obama, Dennis J. Kucinich, Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson, Joe Biden and John Edwards. Kucinich, Richardson, Biden and Edwards have left the race.

The selection of Republican delegates to the September 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. will occur at the Republican Party's State and Congressional District Conventions to be held May 30-31. At-Large Delegates (all of whom will be pledged to support the winner of the Virginia Republican Primary) will be selected at the State Convention.

The Democratic Primary also helps determine which delegates that will attend the August 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. According to the Virginia Democratic Party, if any candidate receives at least 15 percent of the votes, he/she will be given a certain number of delegates for the National Convention. For persons interested in attending the Democratic Convention, the Feb. 12 primary is especially important.

The Democratic Party of Virginia will send 103 delegates and 14 alternates to the national convention in Denver. Eighteen of the 103 delegates are automatically allocated to party leaders. In May 2008, 54 delegates and 11 alternates will be elected at Congressional District Conventions. An additional 20 at large delegates, 11 party leader and elected official delegates and three alternates will be elected at the Virginia State Democratic Convention in June 2008.

The allocation of the delegates to Democratic presidential candidates will be based on the presidential preference primary.

Voters in Virginia do not register by political party. Therefore, any registered voter may choose to vote in any party primary. However, when both parties hold a primary at the same time, voters must select whether they wish to vote the Democratic or the Republican ballot.

Virginia voters are reminded that legislation adopted by the 2000 Virginia General Assembly requires them to provide identification (ID) at the polls (or to sign an Affirmation of Identity) in order to vote.

Acceptable forms of identification include the following:

A voter who fails to bring acceptable ID to the polls may still vote after signing, under oath, an Affirmation of Identity, which is the voter's certification in writing that the name and address information provided to the election officials at the polling place is correct.

Virginia residents who will turn 18 years of age on or before the Nov. 4, 2008 presidential election and have already registered to vote will be able to vote in next Tuesday’s primaries.

The deadline for applications to vote by absentee ballot for those ballots to be mailed or faxed was yesterday afternoon at 5 p.m. However, absentee applications may still be completed in person at the General Registrar’s office through Saturday, Feb. 9.

Once an absentee ballot is cast, it is final. Absentee voters cannot change their mind and vote again even if their candidate withdraws. In order to  be counted, voted absentee ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Feb. 12. 

For more information on the primaries, contact the Scott County Registrar’s Office at 386-3843.

 

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