“For example, if you choose to vote Democrat, you will have a list of all Democratic presidential candidates that have qualified in Alabama and their delegates,” Davis said. Some candidates may not have qualified in Alabama, he said, although he does not know the reason.

Democratic presidential candidates qualified in Alabama are Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Christopher Dodd, John Edwards and Bill Richardson. Biden and Dodd have withdrawn from the race since ballots were printed.

Republican candidates qualified in Alabama are Hugh Cort, Rudy Guiliani, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, Alan Keys, John McCain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo and Fred Thompson. Tancredo has withdrawn.

The party line

Once voters have declared a party and marked a presidential preference, they may then vote for convention delegates.

Rules for voting for delegates differ by party.

On the Democratic ballot, voters will see a list of delegates who represent individual candidates and some who are uncommitted to a candidate. These delegates, listed in a sample ballot on page 14A, must declare which candidate they will support at the party’s national convention so your vote for that delegate will result in a vote at the convention for your presidential preference.

If they do not declare which candidate they will support at the convention, they are listed as “uncommitted” and will determine later how they will vote at the convention.

“Instructions for Democrats are to vote for not more than four women and not more than four men delegate candidates who are committed to the presidential candidate you voted for at the top of the ballot,” Davis explained. “Or not more than four women and not more than four men running ‘not committed’ if you did not commit to a presidential vote.”

However, residents who choose an uncommitted presidential preference may vote for uncommitted delegates.

If you choose Obama, you may vote for all four women representing Obama and four of the 10 men representing him. You may not choose any delegates who support other candidates or who are not committed to a candidate.

Republicans also will have a list of delegates representing certain presidential candidates, see sample ballot on page 15A. But voters may choose only one delegate from each pair of delegates. The delegates must be supporters of the candidate chosen by the voter as a presidential preference.

For example, if you declare Republican and choose John McCain as your presidential preference, you may choose to vote between delegates Terry L. Butts and Don Fisher in Place 2; between delegates Matt Lembke and Christy Swaid in Place 3 and between delegates S.C. Butts and Swaid N. Swaid in Place 4.

In this example, you will vote for three delegates. Some candidates have more delegates representing them and some fewer. If you choose Guiliani, for example, you will vote for four delegates; choose Huckabee and you will vote for only two.