The first step is picking where you will start looking. I’m old enough that I still want to grab the phone book – and yell at you kids to get off my lawn. Be that as it may, today is much easier than just letting your fingers do the walking.

So, where to start? Most will start with the internet so that’s what I’ll cover here – and the fact that you’re reading this blog or listening to the blogcast is kind of a clue that you might just want to start online, too. But so you know, there are other options. The local library as well as the local branch of your particular political party are both great resources to find what you are looking for – and so too the county voter registrar’s office.

Now that we know where we’re going to look, what is it we are looking for? Since we’re interested in upcoming primaries the first thing to find is the primary ballot.

Go to your search engine of choice and type in your state, the year the primary will be held (if it’s December 2021 when you start looking you’ll want the 2022 ballot) and the words ‘primary ballot’. Hit Enter.

The top entry is mercifully the .gov entry – and it is the Alabama Secretary of State so it’s the one we want. The Secretary of State will be the office that handles elections in most states. If you don’t see those words, just do a quick search to find out what office does control elections in your state – then follow that link. Here’s what I get:

Okay, from here it’s just a matter of follow the links – pick your county and party and click. Obviously, a different state may have a somewhat different layout but the information you will need is going to be county you reside in (or will reside in 30 days prior to the primary) and, in states with closed primaries, party affiliation. Follow the links until you get to the sample ballot.

Don’t be surprised when it is pretty big – that’s normal in most primaries. My state sends them by download of a pdf – and as you can see, it comes a bit sideways. No matter, I can straighten it out – or turn my monitor 90 degrees!

But the important part is that you did it – you just tracked down the sample ballot for the upcoming primaries – didn’t hurt a bit, did it?