OHIO – The Ohio primary is less than a week away and it appears there’s a problem with the Republican ballot.
Some voters are complaining the layout is confusing.
There are two boxes on the ballot for delegates, one representing the contest for at-large delegates and one for district delegates. According to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, only the first box representing the at-large delegates will count in the “winner take all primary,” although both boxes will still be counted.
“I found it kind of confusing because there’s two places to mark,” said Mayfield voter Kathy Pelley, “But I just figured you mark two places.”
Pelley wasn’t the only one confused by the ballot. The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections needed 24 hours to provide Fox 8 with an explanation for the two delegate contests.
The Board released a statement saying:
“The Republican primary ballot appears the way that it has always appeared. This is set by state law. The ballot layout is identical to that used in the 2012 presidential primary and all presidential primaries prior to.”
The confusion appears to be born out of a 2015 change in Ohio law that allows the Republican party to change the way it awards delegates in 2016. The ballot language does not apply to the new law, but harkens back to previous elections when the public cast its vote for both at-large delegates and district delegates.
Voters are encouraged to check the first box for at-large delegates as it is the only box that will matter when it comes to awarding delegates.
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