Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-12-01
THE NEW ELECTION PLAN.
Propositions having the effect to prevent q
large number Of persons from Voting.
From the News and Courier. ]

One or the most Important rePOrS 10 De
considered by the General Assembly, at the
present session, is the report of the joint com
mttee to whom were referred, at the last ses
sion, various measures looking to the amend.
ment and alteration of the election laws Of
the State, and to a provision for the registra-
tion of the electors as required by the Consti-
tuition. The joint. who signed the
report, which was submitted to the Legisla.
ture on Tuesday, Of last week, is as follows:
W. H. Perry, j. G. Maxwell, on the part Of
the Senate E. B. Murray, Edward McCra.
dy, Jr., G. j. G. Hutson, j. w. Gray, on part
of the House of Representatives.
By the terms Of their appointment, the
committee were "pledged not only to provide
for the registration of electors as is provided
by the Constitution, but to amend our general
election law so as to secure, as far as possible,
the intelligent exercise of the elective fran
chise, fairness in the conduct of our elections,
and to take away the opportunity for fraud"
Several plans in regard to registration were
submitted and discussed and the committee
decided that: "The most important result of q
registration must be that each and every elec-
tor would be required to have local habita.
ton and name To carry out these views
the committee recommend
First. That all electors shall be registered,
and that no person shall be allowed to vote
at any election, hereafter to be held, unless
registered as required.
Second. That supervisor shall be appoint.
ed for each county, by the Governor, for two
years, who shall be ineligible to any other Of
fee during his term.
Third. That in May and June next, full
and complete registration of electors shall be
had, and the books subsequently reopened for
the correction Of errors.
Fourth. That the registration books shall
not be thereafter reoPened for registration,
except on the first Monday in each month,
nor opened ut all from July to the day of the
general election in the same year.
Fifth. That each elector shall 60 before the
supervisor at the time appointed and prove
his qualifications, and thereupon the said su.
pervisor, upon the payment of fee of fifty
cents by the said elector to defray the e1pen'
ses of registration, shall enter the name, place
of residence, and age of the elector in the ap'
propriate columns of the registration book.
The supervisor determines the qualification Of
applicants, but there. is an appeal from his
decision to the Circuit Court, on the deposit
of five dollars for costs.
Sixth. That any person who shall come Of
age by the time of the next general election
shall be entitled to register.
Seventh. That each elector, so registered,
shall receive certificate signed by the super
visor, and no person shall be allowed to vote
at any other precinct than where registered,
nor unless he produces and exhibits his GER
ti6cate.
Eighth. That a lost certificate may be re-
newed upon the payment Of 81, or without
charge, if the certificate was defaced by time
or accident, upon its surrender.
Ninth. An elector, on changing his resi-.
dence from one precinct to another, must
notify the supervisor and can obtain trans.
fer certificate on the payment Of fee of 70
cents
Tenth. That there shall be revision Of
registration next preceding each election.
The committee then say:
"But the task of the committee is but half
accomplished when they have suggested a
plan of registration. 1t is useless to expect
any fairness in elections to be secured simply
by registration law. The registration of
voters can only prevent one voter from cast
ing his vote more than one time, or voting in
more than one place. This would be very
considerable check upon fraud, but it can
only guard against errors, as it were, outside
of the ballot box. The stufiug Of the ballot
box and the improper extraction Of ballots
of one kind, to reduce the excess, have been
complained of ever since the adoption of the
election laws of 1868, which were so palpa-
bly intended to foster and facilitate frauds in
elections, that the Republicans themselves
we're compelled to substitute the present
regulations for the conduct of elections.
These regulations are more subtle, but the
opportunities for fraud are numerous and in.
excusable. There is nothing to prevent the
use of class of paper for the votes of po-
litical party which are easily distinguishable
from any others, and which can be voted
more than one at time. These tickets are
said to have been more or less extensively
voted ever since the adoption of the present
laws. 1t is the duty, as it will no doubt be
the pleasure, of the present General Assembly,
to enact such provisions as will not only re-
move the appearance of this evil, but abso.
lutely destroy the opportunity for its perpetra-
tion by any political party in the future.
Your committee have sought to accomplish
this object, first by prescribing the form Of
ballot with such exactness and requiring such