The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1877-04-20
REGISTRATION.

The bill to provide for registration
of votes was set for Wednesday, ant
we presume will be disposed OF betor,
We go to press. In view of the man!
!. frauds against the elective franchise
has demanded that greater precau
tionary measures be taken to guard
the ballot box against illegal voting
The registration bill is intended to pro
mote this object, and should receive
the support of honest men of both par
ties II il is right that majorities
should rule, it is equally right that ef
fective measures should demonstrate
that that majority is legitimate and
lawful one, not secured by fraudulent
voting. ballot box stuffing, or any of
the arts by which depraved politicians
seek to obtain and maintain control.
The leading features OF the bill before
the House are CT special interest not
only to transient legal voters but to
settled residents SO far as concerns the
large number of voters who have a
fixed and permanent residence, and
who therefore can have but little in
centive to risk detection in an attempt
at illegal voting, the bill makes no
change. The distinction is made by
the form in which the bill proposes TO
enforce that provision of the State
Constitution which. after defining the
time of reside nee in the State which
shall be requisite TO enable citizen to
vote, provides that his residence in the
county, township, and ward shall be
for such period as shall'be prescribed
by law. The bill therefore sets out
with general clause prescribing that
mo person shall be permitted to
vote at any election unless be shall
have been a resident of the State one
year, resident of the county $50 DAYS,
and a resident of the township, village
or ward in which he resides and offers
to vote 355 days next preceding cleo
tion." Fer ali persons SO described no
registration is required. The bill then
goes on and provides as exceptions 10
the above rule that any person having
the residence heretofore required by
law, that is, ''shall have been a bona
fide residence of the county thirty days
and of the township, village or ward
in which he resides and offers to vote,
twenty days proceeding the election,
and shall have complied with the pro-
visions and registered as required by
this act shall not be prohibited from
voting because of not having been
longer a resident A similar provis
ion is made in regard to any person
being the head OF a family removing
from one township or ward to another
except that be may not vote at elee-
tions for municipal officers without
full period of residence, sach as EMIT |
les to a vote without registration.
The bill provides tl.at the registra |
tion shall take place at specified times
at the usual places of holding elections,
and that both political parties shall be |
on election boards. 1t also |
that in any case of wari or
voting precinct in any city having 15.-
600 or more inhabitants, as soon as the |
of votes cast ct any election |
shall be more than 600 the Council /
she'll divide such ward into subdivision
for voting purposes, so that each sub
shall contain, as nearly as
500 electors resident |
therein.
Jt Is understood that tha Ranutli
cans will press this bill to its passage
befor the adjournment ef the LegisIa
ture.