No write-ins for D.C. primary

[Freddie Stubbs]

WASHINGTON — The ballot is set for the District of Columbia’s Democratic Presidential primary. But supporters of some candidates are complaining they won’t be able to enter their preferences in the nonbinding contest.

“There is no write-in line because the parties design the ballots, and Democrats decided to not include write-ins four years ago,” Bill O’Field, a spokesman for the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics, said yesterday.

The party opened the primary to all recognized candidates and those who actively filed to be on the ballot. But five top candidates — Joe Lieberman, John Edwards, John Kerry, Richard Gephardt, and Wesley Clark — removed their names last month amid questions about whether any contest should be held before the Iowa caucuses or the New Hampshire primary, traditionally the first major events of the Presidential election cycle.

According to sources within the Board of Elections, at least two of those campaigns have asked about the nonexistent write-in option for the Jan. 13 contest.

more: http://www.theunionleader.com/prez_show.html?article=30340