European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 11, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Presidential primary season opens tomorrow by the associated press new Hampshire is not a very big state about 180 Miles Long by a average 50 Miles wide. You can drive anywhere in the state in three hours. And it does t carry a lot of political weight Only four electoral votes. Yet ail eyes Are on the Granite state As it holds the nation s first presidential primary of the year. Political pundits and pollsters have travelled the length and breadth of the state for months Fol lowing the campaigners probing the political plasticity of its natives. And with last minute dropouts and write ins the stage is set for the firs big dramatic production of the 1968 presidential year on March 12. Interest is primarily on the rivalry Between campaigning republicans the opposition party. Polls for the past months showed former vice president Richard m. Nixon far in the gop Lead and they apparently convinced Michigan gov. George Romney. Romney dropped out of the presidential race altogether barely two weeks before the new Hamp Shire primary. That left Nexon facing write ins for president Johnson and his opposing Democrat sen. Eugene Mccarthy cd Minn. But suddenly new York gov. Nelso Rockefeller leaped into the spotlight vacated by Romney. Though the Republican governor is not on the new Hamp Shire primary ballot and had previously declared he was not a presidential candidate he announced recently he would accept a draft for the nomination. This took on added significance when rom Ney dropped out and a Rockefeller write in was stepped up in new Hamp Shire. From new Hampshire the Candi dates aim at the Wisconsin primary the nation s second on april 2. It s followed by a primary in Pennsylvania april 23 and in Massachusetts april 30. The District of Columbia. Indiana and Ohio hold their primaries May 7, followed by Nebraska and West Virginia on May 14, Oregon on May 17 and Florida on May 28. California new Jersey and South Dakota voters go to the primary polls june 4 and the final presidential Pri Mary is june 11 in Illinois. In addition to these 15 presidential primaries in which the ballot gives the voter some Way to indicate his Choice for the nomination two other states new York and Alabama provide for primary election of National convention delegates. In neither state however Dothe presidential preferences of the would be delegates appear on the  Are two kinds of presidential primaries. They Are sometimes held separately and sometimes one in con Junction with the  is the presidential preference poll in which names of prospective nominees Are printed on the ballot and the voter May Mark his preference. These polls May not be binding on the convention delegates from the  other is the Delegate election in which voters choose the actual delegates to go to the National conventions. This year the Republican convention is to be held in Miami aug. 5 and the democrats gather in Chicago three weeks later. H i a is i March 12.n.Hampshire april 2 Wisconsin april 23.pennsylvania 3 april 30.massachusetts May 7 . May 7. Indiana May 7 Ohio 3 May 14 Nebraska 3 May 14  Al May 17 Oregon May 28 Florida june 4 California june 4 new Jersey june 4 South Dakota june 11 Illinois Kennedy states 303 electoral Voies Nixon states 219 electoral votes Ihu pledged elector slates 15 electoral Voles Biec Tuph 1964 Johnson states 486 electoral votes Goldwater states 52 electoral votes monday March 11, 1968 the stars and stripes Page 11