The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-09-14
ELECTION LAWS.


the changes which we thought ought to be
made in our laws governing elections,
and we propose, this morning, to call at
tention In one or more other alterations
which snggest themselves TO our mind. In
the first place, we believe that all elect, ns
should be determined by plurality Of
votes. We now so elect our county officers
and Justices of the peace as, also, the sew
eral town officers In the cases of assistant
Judges, judges of probate, sheriff, states
attorney, etc, only the highest number Of
vote. is required for IN election, mt mo-
,i0rfy of al. the vote, cast and why should
It be in the case of other officers? In elect
ing members of the general assembly,"
this matter is, perhaps, rendered clearer
than in reference TO any other class of
elective officers. The supreme legislative
power of the state is veste l., by the con-
sttution, or, 20 use its exact language,
shall "be exercised by senate and the
house of representatives,, which shall be
styled, THE General Assembly of the State
of Vermont The senate is regarded as
the highest and most important branch,
and is first mentioned in the constitution
yet It's members are elected by n
plurality of votes. 1t might so happen.
in multiplicity of candidates, that scna-
tor who received as many hundred as there
were thousand votes polled would be elect
ed. But in case of a town representative,
no matter how many votes he may receive
If he fail of one vote of ma orty of all
polled, there is 30 election. What is the
sense or reason of this !? If plurality of
votes elects to the senate, why should it
not to the house of representatives We
elect our members OF congress in the same
senseless way. On the first trial, major
ity of all the votes is required for an cleo
ton, but at the second trial mere 1.-THE of
the votes polled may make a member of
congress, only a plurality being required.
Why should there be any distinction be-
tween the two cases? In order that there
may be an election Of governor. Lieutenant
governor or state treasurer by the people,
it is a prerequisite that the candidate shall
receive a majority of all the votes given
for that particular office; but if there is a
failure to elect by the people, it is taken
out of their hands and placed in that of
the legislature who, then, elect our state
officers for us. Is there any sense or rea-
son in this? We think the general answer
to all these inquiries will be that our pres
ent laws, in this respect, are senseless and
unreasonable. They can all he rendered
uniform and our elections reduced to a sys-
TEN by requiring only a plurality of votes
to elect in any case.
But we have said enough ON this point
and have contented ourself with simply
making our argument by illustrations
That matter concerns the whole state, bu
in that which we are about to say only The
larger towns are directly interested, ant
we shall, therefore, take Rutland for al
illustration. There are in this town, at TIT
lowest estimate, two thousand $1,000
voters. The law requires that the box fo
town representative shall be opened at lei
o'clock in the forenoon and closed at tire,
o'clock in the afternoon. Now if all TIN
voters in the town should attend freemeu'
meeting, il would be impossible for tn
proper officers to receive their votes within
the time limited. There is provision, t
be sure, by which the board of civ
authority ''may, in their discretion, direC
the opening of not to exceed three sets c
ballot boxes at different places IN tie room
where the town or freemen's meeting
held, but this does not seem Ia meet III
difficulty. The fault may be with I'll
voter; but as our population is mostl
composed of farmers and laborers, the
do not most of them, because they cannt
afford it, come to the place of election u
til afternoon. With this state of facts,
would he impossible to receive at thrt
ballot boxes all the votes which would |
offered, and which legal voters desired
poll, prior TO three o'clock. We have sec
elections in Rutland when every minute
time was occupied from ten to three o'cloc
in receiving votes and checking or recor
ing the names of voters, and then Ion
line of voters remained with their bAllo
in their hands unable to use them. Or
remedy for this difficulty was taken in Il
provision which we have quoted, but
does not go far enough. Neither won
the increasing of the 'sets Of ballot box
IN tie roam where the town or freemel
meeting is held" fully remedy the matt,
1t would, of course, make the duties of t
receiving officer lighter; it would, perhal
insure the polling OF votes by all the volt
present and so far, il no farther, the Ii
should be changed by making it comp
sorry ON the board of civil authority to p
vide a ballot box for every given numl
of voters say, one for every three hi
dred.
We have in Rutland, as we have 50
over two thousand voters. But how ma
Of them, on an average, attend our ell
tons? The highest number Of votes e'
cast here was, we believe, something o.
sixteen hundred but that was in q deel
exciting contest, IN which bitter perso
feelings were more or less mingled, O
every effort was made, By both candida
and by beth parties, 10 secure the attei
ance Of voters The money used for no
hire IN that contest would nearly pay
expenses Of all The elections ever held