The Phoenix herald. (Phoenix, Maricopa County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1879-1882, 1880-10-01
WHO CAN VOTE.
only Six Months Residence
in Arizona Required.

The following opinions from the
press of Southern Arizona will prove
of interest to our readers ut this
time:
TOMBSTONE DAILY EPITAPH;
A good deal of interest being mar
ifesied at present regarding The mat
ter of registration. Article 1412,
section l, of the Complied Laws of
the Territory, reads as follows:
''Q4l2) SEC. l. Every male citizen
of 1.-THE United States, and every male
citizen of Mexico, who shall have
elected to become a citizen of the
United States under the treaty OF
peace exchanged and ratified at Que
retaro, on the 18Th day of May, 1873,
and the Gadsden Treaty of 50, aud
every male person who shall have
declared, on cath, beforea competent
court of record his intention to be-
come 4 citizen of the Ulited States,
and shall have taken IN oath TO sup
port the Constitution and Govern
ment of the United States, OF the age
of twcIty-one years, who shall have
been resident of the Territory one
year next preceding election and the
county or precinct in which he
claims his vote, ten days, and whose
name is enrolled on The great register
of such county, shall be entitled TO
vote at all elections which are now
and may be hereafter authorized by
law"
The natural inference from the
above section IS that it is necessary
for person to have been resident
F., for one year preceding the election
/ in order to enable him to vote. Many
persons, however, upon making ap-
| plication for registration, affirm 10
their being electors Of the county.
surprising that d six months reSiG-
en- &c is sufficient, and when we come
I to look at the grounds for challenS-
ing voter at ihe polls.it would seem
that six months was all the time re-
quired 70 gain a residence. 1t reads
as follows.
q443.) SEC. o. Any person offer
ing to vote may be orally challenged
by an clecior OF the county upon
either or all of the following grounds:
1. That he is not the person whose
name appears on the register.
,. That he has not resided in the
Territory six months and ten days N
the county or precinct next preceding
the election.
3. That he has before voted that
day
4 Repealed by act of 1857.
5. That he has been convicted OF
afelony and has not been pardoned.
As viii be seen by the above, a
voter can be challenged on the
ground of non-residence for six
I g., 4
the statutes in another place provides
for years residence. In addition, a
registry officer is not under any obli- |
CATION to read the law to applicants,
and person under the impression
that six months is the residence re-
qulred could concien,iously take the |
ter could not be prevented<rom cast
ing vote.
TUCSON DAILY CITIZEN:
It IS now pretty generally the |
opinion of our leading legal authOri- |
ties that the proper construction of |
the registration law gives citizens of |
the United States the right to vote |
after a residence in this Territory of |
six months.
TUCSON DAILY STAR:
For the purpose of being able to
satisfactorily a. swer the query of |
many of our Democratic friends,
''hoH long must a person reside in
this Territory before entitled to vote"
we have caused thorough eXamina-
ton of all the statutes relating there
to 10 be carefully made by compel
ent counsel, ana we can now safely
assure our readers ''that every male
citizen of the United States, and |
every male citizen of Mexico, who
shall have elected to become a citi-
zen of the United States under the
treaty of peace exchanged and rati
fed at QueTetarO on the Both day of
May, 1913, and the Gadsden Treaty OF
1854, of age Of tweaty-One years, who
shall have been resident of the Ter
ritory six months next preceding the
election, and the county or precinct
in which he cialms his vote, ten days,
and whose name is enrolled on the
Great Register of the county, or who
produces and files with the Board of
Election at the time of Offering his
vote an uncancelled citIficate of re-
gistraiion on the Great Register of
The county, IS entitled to vote at all
elections authorized by law.
But every male person who shall
have declared on oath before com
petent court of record his intention
to become a citizen of the United
Stated, and shall have taken an oath
to support the Constitution and
Government of the United States,
must reside in the Territory one year
next preceding the election, and
must lie possessed also of all The
other qualifications enumerated
above as necessary to entille citizen
of the UHiteI States to vote.
There is Il resti iction and differ
ence of six months between the two
classes of voters. Although tlse law
is somewhat ambiguous, it was the
undoubted intention of the Legisla-
ture to make a 12-months residence
necessary for every male person de
clarinr his intention to become such
citizen, and who had not yet secured
or received his final papers.