The presidential primary will go on as scheduled early next year, but with fewer Democratic candidates on the ballot from which to choose.

Michigan’s Supreme Court ruled last week that the state could hold a Jan. 15 presidential primary that would make it first in the nation. With that decided, the only question was whether the state legislature would approve placing on the ballot the names of four Democratic candidates.

A state House move to add the names of candidates Joe Biden, John Edwards, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson to the ballot had little support in the Senate and failed Tuesday. All of the candidates sought to have their names removed from the ballot earlier this year in protest over the moved-up primary.

The maneuvering has put county clerks throughout the state in a bind.

“We’re supposed to have absentee ballots to our township clerks by Saturday … That’s very unlikely,” county Clerk Michelle Crocker said.

The county election commission met Monday and finalized the ballot numbers. Two separate ballots are being prepared — one for Republicans, the other for Democrats.

Appearing on the Democratic ballot are Hillary Clinton, Christopher Dodd, Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich. The list of Republican candidates is significantly larger and includes Sam Brownback, Rudy Guilani, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, John McCain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo and Fred Thompson.

“Voters will have to identify whether they would like a Democratic or Republican ballot,” Crocker said. “This information will be confidential and will only be released to each of the parties upon request.”

This issue was at the heart of the lower court rulings in that only the two political parties — not the public — could have access to this information.

“It is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act,” Crocker said.

In previous years township clerks, as a courtesy, sent absentee voter applications to those who typically vote without going to the polls. This practice was challenged successfully in court and will no longer be allowed.

“If you want an absentee voter ballot, you’ll need to contact your township clerk,” Crocker said. “They will not be contacting you.”