The Union County Journal

'Purt-Near' Need a Bookkeeper!
Voters to Get Sheaf of Ballots Nov. 2

When Union County residents go to the polls in the Nov. 2 general election, they will be handed quite a sheaf of ballots, including the longest presidential ticket in 20 years.

It will also be the most "lopsided" presidential ballot in that length of time.

A three-column affair, it is lopsided because it lists only the names of the Republican and Democratic candidates for president and vice president, but the names of all the electors pledged to Henry A. Wallace and Senator Glen H. Taylor for president and vice president, respectively.

This awkward arrangement is the result of a recent Ohio Supreme Court decision holding that names of the Progressive party electors may appear on the ballot as independents but without party designation.

Under Ohio's election laws, a vote for the Republican or Democratic candidates by name will mean a vote for the 25 electors of the respective party, whose names will be on file with the Secretary of State after the State conventions.

Thus, the voter in November will vote indirectly for Republican and Democratic electors, but directly for Progressive party presidential electors.

It will be the first time since 1928 that names of presidential electors have appeared on an Ohio ballot.

In the first column are names of the G. O. P. candidates for president and vice president, Thomas E. Dewey and Earl Warren. Above their names is the party emblem and a circle. In voting for Republican candidates, which actually (Continued on Page 2, Col. 5)
Voters to Get Sheaf of Ballots
(Continued from Page 1)
means a vote for their electors, the voter may place his "x" in the circle or in the space provided to the left of their names.
Names of Democratic candidates, Harry S. Truman and Alben Barkley, appear in the second column together with the party symbol and a circle for similar voting purposes.
Above the third column, however, there is no party designation, and no circle. This column contains only the names of 25 Progressive electors arranged alphabetically. Neither Mr. Wallace's name nor that of Mr. Taylor appears on the ballot.
What will be the proper method of counting this ballot—especially if a voter should cast his vote for either the Democratic or Republican candidates, and then go ahead and mark also some of the Progressive electors—will have to be answered for elections workers by Nov. 2.
Other ballots to be handed electors Nov. 2 will include:
1. The party column, containing candidates for governor and other state offices, as well as district and county candidates.
2. Non-partisan judicial ballot, listing candidates for state, district and county courts.
3. Questions and issues ballot containing the bond issue for the proposed Community Building on the Fairgrounds.
4. Local questions and issues ballots pertaining to local tax levies, mostly for individual school districts.