The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-12-01
THE NEW ELECTION PLAN.
STRING ENT EGfSTE iTIOY IND
EIGUT UOifr.

Fraud at Elections made imprnctica-
| bic in South Carolina.
One Of the most important reports to be
considered 10y the General Assembly at tile
present session is the report Of the joint
committee to whom wcrc referred, "a, he
| last sessDn, various measures looking to the
amendment and alteration Of the Election
laws Of the STATE. aul 10 provision for the
! registration Of electors rs required by the
Constitution. The .ioint committee who
sgned the report which was submitted on
| Tuesday, is rs follows W. II. Perry, J. G.
Maxwell, on IaFt Of the Senate; L. B.
Murray, Edward McCrady, Jr., G. J. G. Hut
son, J. ". Gray, on part OF tho House Of
| Representatives,.
| BY the terms Of t.oir appointment the
committee were pledged not only to provide
for the registration Of electors rs is provided
By the Constitution, but 10 amend our gen.
cral election law so rs to secure, as far as
possible, the intelligent exercise Of the cleo.
| tive franchise, fairness in the conduct Of our
elections and to take away the opportunity
| for fraud" Several plans in regard to regis
tration were submitted and discussed and
the committee decided that "Thc most i'm
| portant result Of Il registration must be that
each and every clcctor would be required to
have q local habitation and name. The
| committee say:
Ono Of the greatest difficulties with which
the State has to contend has been the great
number Of persons upon whom tho right to
vote was bestowed, who had no certain name
by which they could be known and no abid-
n n tnv hn
Identified. Few Of the former slaves claim
ing surnamcs, and few having any by which
they wcrc known, and none by which they
were bouni, upon their emancipation, they
took for the timc such rs for the moment
occurred to them, which they changed at
pleasure; and many. if not most, adopting the
family names of their former masters, it re-
| suited that there were often hundreds using
the Same name as long as the fancy held
them to it, This want of certainty, and this
confusion in the names Of these people,
added to the great similarity in their facial
appearance, rendered very great tho practi-
cal difficulty Of Identification, and allowed
tho samc person to vote again ard again
under different names, assumed for each oc-
casion. without danger Of conviction.
To these difficulties are added the extreme
rcstcssncss of the negroes and their unwl.
lingncss to remain for any length Of time in
one place. Their constant shifting from one
lodging to another and never continuing in
any one place has also secured to them i'm
munity from Identification.
We assume that it will be admitted as but
right and proper that one who is to be al.
lowed to exercise the privilege of an clector
should have u name by which, and by which
name alone, he shall he allowed to exercise
tho right, and that it should be known Ger
tainly where lie resides, and who he is in
order that the public may be sure that he
has tho right to vote as required by tho Con-
stitution.
To remedy .hc evils just mentioned, the
committee have decided to recommend a
scheme of permanent registration, that is to
say Il registration by which, when n name
is once entered upon tho register, it will
remain there until the dcutt or removal of
the clcctor; in which latter event tho olector
to be required to have his name transferred
TO the register OF the county or precinct to
which ho removes. and in the ease of any
removal, even within the samo precinct,
that he he required to Inform the proper
officer and to have his register and certif-
cato altered accordingly.
To carry out these vicv, lie committee
recommend:
First That all electors shall bo registered,
and that no person shall bo allowed. to vote
ut any election, hereafter to be Eeld, unless
registered as required
Second. That 4 supervisor shall he ap-
pointed for each county by the Governor for
two years who shall bo ineligible to any
other office during his term.
Third. That III May and juno next q full
and complete registration of electors shall
be had, and tho hooks subsequently rcopcned
for tho correction of errors.
Fourth. That the registration books shall
not be thereafter rcopcncd for registration,
except on tho first Monday in each month,
nor opened at all from July to tho day of tho
general election in tho Same year.
Fifth. That each elector shall go bcforo
tho supervisor at tho timo appointed and
provo his qualifications, and thereupon tho
said supervsor,.upon the payment of fec of
fifty cents by the said elector to defray tho
expenses of registration, shall enter the
name, place of residence, and age of tho elec-
tor in the appropriate columns of the regis
tration book. The supervisor determines
tho qualification of applicants but there is
an appeal from his decision to tho Circuit
Court on the deposit of I've dollars for costs.
Sixth. That any person who shall como of
ago by tho time OF the next general election
shall be entitled to register.
Seventh. That each clcctor so registered
shall receive certificate signed by the SUI
pervisor, ard no person shall be allowed to
vote at any other precinct than where
registered nor unless ho produces and OK
hibits his certificate.
Eighth. That lost certificate may be re-
newed upon tho payment of 81, or without
charge If tho certificate was dcfaced by time
or accident, upon its surrender.
Ninth. An clcctor on changing his -csi-
dence from one precinct to another must
notify the supervisor and obtain tranafcr
certificate ON he payment of % fec of %
cents.
Tenth. That there shall be revision of
registration next preceding each election.
The committee then say:
But tho taNk of tho committee is but half
accomplished S7hen they have suggested
plan Of registration. 1t is useless to expect
by n registration law. Tho registration Of
voters can only prevent ono voter from cast
ing his vote moro than ono timc or voting
in moro than one place. This would be o
very considerable check upon fraud, but it
can only guard against errors. as it were,
outside of the ballot box. The stufing of
the ballot box and tho improper extraction
OF ballots of ono kind to reduce the excess
have been complained of ever since tho
adoption of the election laws of 1868, which
were 90 palpably intended to foster md ia
ailitatc frauds in elections that tho Repub-
licaDs themselves were compelled to substi-
tute the present regulations for tho conduct
of elections. These regulations are moro
subtle, but the opportunities for fraud are
humorous and inexcusable. There is nothing
10 prevent the use of class of papor for the
votes of n political party which arc easily
distinGnishable from any others, and which