Published: April 22, 2008 03:29 pm         

Details about Indiana’s presidential primary

Questions and answers about Indiana’s primary:

Q: When is the primary and who can vote?

A: May 6. Indiana does not have party registration, so any of the state’s 4.3 million registered voters may request either a Democratic or Republican ballot. The voter registration deadline has passed.

Q: What about voting before the primary date?

A: Absentee ballots may be cast in person at county election offices until noon May 5. April 28 is the deadline for applications to vote absentee by mail to be received by county election boards.

Q: Who’s on the Democratic ballot?

A: Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, who are locked in a tight race to win the 2,025 delegates needed to be nominated at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August.

Q: How many delegates will Indiana send to the convention?

A: Indiana will have 85 delegates, including 13 “superdelegates” — Sen. Evan Bayh, Democratic members of Congress and other party leaders. Superdelegates are free to vote for the candidate of their choice, although some have publicly expressed a preference.

Q: How are the other 72 delegates picked?

A: They will be awarded to Clinton and Obama in proportion to the primary vote, with 47 allocated in the state’s nine congressional districts based on the outcome in each district. The remaining 25 delegates will be allocated based on the statewide vote. The people who will serve as delegates will be selected during the state Democratic convention in June.

Q: Who’s on the Republican ballot?

A: Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who has won enough delegates to clinch the GOP nomination; former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

Q: How many delegates will Indiana send to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., in September, and how are they picked?

A: There will be 57 Indiana GOP delegates, with three from each of the state’s nine congressional district pledged to vote for the candidate who wins in that district. The people in those delegate positions are selected during spring party caucuses. The state Republican convention in June will elect 27 at-large delegates who are not bound to any candidate. The state party chairman and two members of the Republican National Committee are automatic unpledged delegates.

Q: What other races are on the ballot?

A: The Democrats also have a statewide race between Jill Long Thompson and Jim Schellinger to decide their nominee for governor. Candidates also will be picked in several congressional districts, including longtime Republican Rep. Dan Burton facing GOP challenger John McGoff and Democratic Rep. Andre Carson facing three prominent challengers. Local races on various primary ballots will be state legislative seats, judges and county commissioners and councils.