Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1863-10-10
The Election Laws.


persons have been assessed in Conyngham
township, who are not legal residents of
tn at district, and some OF them not even
citizens Of this State, we think it timely
to call attention TO the subject of the elec-
ton laws. 1t is to be hoped that no fraud
is inte nded at the election there, but there
is ground Of suspicion that it will be at
tempted, and the law-abidiug citizens
should be on the alert 10 prevent it.
The Constitution and laws of the State,
so far as they apply to elections, must be
honestly observed, or we shall fall into
utter confusion.
In order to vote q man must have been
citizen of this State for one Whole gear,
unless in case Of citizen removing from
the State who may become qualified, after
resuming his citizenship, upon residence
of SIX MONTHS. A citizen of New Jer-
sey or any other State cannot vote here
unless he settle in this State intending to
reside in it and become citizen thereof,
and to abandon all claim to home or cit.
izenship in another State. And then he
must reside in this State one whole year
before he can vote.
In addition to State citizenship, as above
stated, he must have legal residence in
the Election District where he offers to
vote for ten days IMMEDIATELY PREoE-
DING rnE ELECTION. The Supreme Court
Of this State have said in the case Of Chase
Us. Miller, g Wright's Penn'a. Law Re-
ports, page 403) that ''residence means
the place where man establishes his
abode, makes the seat of his property, and
exercises his civil and political rights. -
In legal sense, the residence Of a man
in the meaning of the law, is, where he
has true fixed and permanent home and
principal establishment, and to which
whenever he is absent he has the intention
Of returning. The presence or sojourn of
a man in the State, or in election district,
does not give him legal residence in
either, unless he make the State or district
his permanent place Of abode and employ
ment. This is usually tested or shown by
his having there his family and fixed
habitation, or that he resides there with
his parents. In any case he must intend
to make the place his permanent home.
AS to the case oil soldiers or persons in
military service, they can vote in their
proper home districts and nowhere else,
just as in the case of other citizens. The
Supreme Court determined in the case
above mentioned, that "the right of a SOL
dier to vote under the Constitution is in
the election district where he resided at
the time Of his entering the military SER
vice." if he have the other proper quali.
cations. And they say, "when a soldier
returns to his election district he resumes
all the civil rights of citizenship, and his
residence being unimpaired by his tempo
rary absence, he has right to vote on
election day; but under the Constitution,
to which his fealty is due, he can acquire
no right to vote elsewhere except by
change of residence from one district to
another, that is, by changing his perma-
nent home. OF course citizens of other
States in military service cannot vote in
this State at all, and one who is citizen
OF the State can only vote in his proper
home election district, where he has his
permanent place of abode.
The other qualifications are, that the
elector shall be white freeman, twenty.
one years of age, and that he shall have,
within two years, paid a State or County
tax, which shall have been assessed at leaSt
ten days before the election except that
young men, between the ages of twenty
one and twenty-five years, can vote without
having paid tax.
We recommend to our friends in Con
yngham and everywhere else, to watch
their elections and see that they are fairly
conducted.