The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-02-22
COMMUNICATED.


A Mode of Preventing Fraud at the Ballot
Box and of Facilitating the Exercise OF
the Right of Suffrage.
With regard to suffrage iii our popular
elections, two circumstances call for pro-
found attention. They are these: First,
that in certain localities ballot-box stuffing
and repeating carry elections against law
full votes second, that women may soon
be suitragans. The first should be
checked, the latter should be made COM
Portable.
To effect both these objects the following
system of voting Is proposed:
There shall be faithful registration of
votes.
The name of each registered voter shall
bear distinct number on the registration
list, which shall be numbered from one up
wards consecutively, and registration
shall be made in each registration district
established by law.
Each registration district shall be an
election district, and in each there shall be
prepared book similar to bank check
book.
The left-hand portion of the plate is the
stub which remains i'll the book; the right
hand portion is the ticket, to be separate
ed from the stub and delivered to the voter.
The stub remains in the custody of the
officers of registration, and shows how
many lawful tickets have been issued. In
stead of being separated by vertical cut,
the ticket may be separated by an irregu-
lar line from the stub, which might in
some cases afford additional security.
This ticket-boolk is to be made up at the
close of the registration. Each stub and
i 4. 4 a.. 4, 4,
and these are to correspond with the num-
bers on the registration list, from one con-
secutively upwards to the highest number
on the registration list, and no further.
Each ticket is to be signed and stamped
or sealed by public officer previously de-
signated by law for that purpose, and in
presence OF the candidates, if they wish to
be present, or Of persons appointed by
them and each ticket shall also be signed
by the candidates, or a person selected by
tie supporters of the candidates on either
side. Instead Of this, the ticket might be
signed by some public officer, not himself
candidate, but previously designated by
law for the purpose ; and as the object OF
these provisions is merely to authenticate
beyond doubt the legality of the ticket,
any other scheme adequate to effect that
end may be adopted.
AS to the names OF candidates to be
voted for, the tickets are to be blank; the
names only of the offices to be filled are to
be found on the ticket when delivered to
the voter.
Each ticket, after having been in this
manner numbered, stamped and verified, Is
to be placed in letter envelope and sealed
up, and then all these envelopes, contain
L 80 10 u, .Shlt IN,
termingled and shuflied up together, in or
der that the number which will be placed
on the list of voters made up at the tint
the votes are counted at the close OF TIN
election may not correspond with the mum
BIER of votes on the registration list, to TIN
end that the secrecy of the ballot may re
main fnyioate.
After having been thus thoroughly shut
fled together, each envelope containing
ticket is to be addressed to a name on tn,
registration list until all are thus addressed
and the registration lists and the addresses
envelopes, therefore, correspond exactly
Each envelope is then delivered to tn
voter personally whose name it bears.
Each voter puts on his ballot the name
of the candidates he may prefer, and h
can vote with no other ballot than that.
At each election there may be as man
places for voting, and the polls may b
kept open so long, as convenience ma
require. !.
Polling the votes consists merely III til
act of each voter slipping ballot into
convenient box, such, for instance, as tn
iron street pestotfice boxes, of which I'll
election commissioners keep the key
There is to be no challenging or question
ing of the voter, and the operation is to
performed with no more trouble or III