The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1879-01-29
TO PREVENT FRAUD AT
PRIMARY ELEC pGONS.

A bill is now before the Legislature
"to prevent fraud at primary elections
aud to provide that they may be
honestly conducted Il provides that
any committee or body, authorized by
the rules or customs of voluntary
political association to call elections of
or for such association for any purpose,
may, by resolution adopted at the time
of making the call, have such election
conducted according to the rules which
the bill prescribes. The resolution
must declare the time aud place of
holding the election; the names of
three persons to constitute the election
board; the object of the election; that
such election will be held in accordance
with the provisions of the proposed Act;
the time and manner of the publication
of the notice of such election, and the
qualification required for voters in ad
dition to those prescribed by the general
law. Provision is made for giving ample
notice of the election; for organizing
the Election Board, aud for opening and
closing the polls. and the members of
the Board are authorized to administer
oaths during the progress of the
election. None but persons who
possess the qualifications for electors
prescribed by the law of the State must
vote or participate in any of the pro
ceedings at such election, and any
person Offering to vote may be chal-
lenged upon the grounds that he does
not possess the other qualifications
prescribed by the resolutions, The
votes must be canvassed and the Board
of Election must issue certificates of
election to all persons who are chosen
to fill any position by the votes of one
precinct alone. and in cases where the
votes of more than one precinct are re.
quired to elect, the committee or body
from which the resolution calling the
election emanated must canvass the re-
surns from. the several precincts and
issue certificates to the persons chosen
to fill positions. The provisions of
chapter 81, of elections. of the Com
piled Laws of Nevada, from sections SO
30 %. inclusive. are made applicable to
all elections held under the provisions
of the bill.
The object of the bill, as its title i'm.
plies, is to prevent fraud at primary
elections At present these elections
are not recognized by the law. and any
body. whether citizen of the United
States or qualified eIector of the pre-.
sipet in which the election is held or not,
fncurs no risk of being punished for
voting at them. 1t is also tho custom
tn some precincts for men who want to
make point by getting certain dele
b"NHS S'SStSNs W SCV VI TIC Up
pesite political party to vote at pri'
iaaries. and thus snbvert the will of the
majority of the bona fide members of
the party holding the election. Should
the bill become "a law the Genital Com.
rniitees, by resolving to hold primary
elections In accordance with its pro
visions, may prevent much sharp aud
Very crooked practices. 1t entails no
expense on the taxpayers, and as it il
left to the option of Central Committees
10 hold elections az it prescribes, or by
the present method. no harm can pos
slbly result from its passage, while it
may have tendency to purify primary
SECTIONS.
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