Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-01-01
THE NEW REGISTRATION LAW.
Text of the Measure as Passed by the
General Assembly.

Fannah city election we reproduce IOT the
perusaI Of the city readers of the MORN
ING NEWS the text of the new act ofthe As
sembly upon the subject of registration in
the city of Savannah as passed at the re-
cent session of the Legislature and ap-
proved December 9th last.
The bill as passed claims to be amenda-
tory of the registration act for the city of
Savannah, approved September %, 1881,
but in reality it is a total repeal Of that
act in the methods and provisions made
for carrying it out.
THE ACT.
SECTION 1. The General Assembly of
the State of Georgia hereby enacts, That
section one of an act entitled an act to
provide for the registration of voters to
vote at municipal elections in the city of
Savannah, to fix, regulate and determine
the time. place and manner in which such
elections shall be held, to prescribe the
qualification of voters at all such cleo
tons, and to provide suitable penalties
for all violations thereof, approved sep
TENDER %, 1881, shall be and the same is
hereby amended, by inserting after the
words s1shall be- in the second line Of
said section the words ''thOse required by
this act and the constitution of GeOr-
gia for electors in elections by the
Deople in this State" by striking out
the word s'as'' before the word ''pre
scribed" in the said second line Of said
section, and inserting in lieu thereof be-
fore said word prescribed the words "ln
addition to thOse' so that the said sec
ton when amended shall read as follows:
THAT the qualifications of voters at cleo
tions for Mayor and Aldermen of the city
of Savannah shall be those required by
this act and the constitution of Georgia
for electors in elections by the people in
this State, in addition to those prescribed
in section 1881 of the Appendix to the
Code of 1873, except that the time of the
residence of the voter within the corporate
limits Of said city shall be SIX months I'M
mediately preceding such election.
SEC. 2. That section two of said act be
amended by striking therefrom in the be-
ginning thereof the words ''the Judge OF
the Superior Court of Chatham county,
the Judge of the City Court of savannah,
and the Ordinary of Chatham county,
and substituting therefor the following
words: I'D. c. Bacon, John Flannery,
George 5. Haines, William Swoll and
F. VI. Hull. citizens of Savannah, and
their successors in office, are hereby de-
clared to be and are constituted Election
Commissioners for the city of savannah,
and they, or a majority of them, duly
qualified as hereinafter provided" by
changing the time at which the appoint
ment of freehOlders, who shall constitute
a Board of Registration and Election
Managers in said city, shall be made
from '1twO months before each election
to zone MONTH before each election, so
that said section. when so amended, shall
read as follows: I'D. {. Bacon, John Elan-
merry. George 5. Haines, William SWoll
and +. NJ. Hull, citizens of Savannah, and
their successors in office, are hereby de-
clared to be, and are constituted, Election
Commissioners for the said city OF Savan-
nah. and they, or majority OF them, duly
qualified, as hereinafter provided by
changing the time at which the appoint
ment of freehOlders, who shall constitute
a Board of Registration and Election
Managers in said city, shall be made from
1.-TWO months before each election to
zone month" before each election, so that
said section, when so amended, shall
read as follows: I'D. c. Bacon, John
Flannerv. George 5. Haines, William
SwOlI and f. NJ. Hull, citizens of Savan-
nah, and their successors in office, are
hereby declared to be and are constituted
Election Commissioners for the said city
of Savannah, and they. or a majority
of them. duly qualified as hereinafter
provided, shall appoint three free
holders, residing in each militia district
in said city. who shall constitute Board
of Registration and Election Managers in
said city, Such appointments shall be
made not less than one month before each
election for Mayor and Aldermen of said
city, and no person shall be APP
pointed to serve twice consecutively.
Immediately upon their appoint
ment the members of said board
from each district shall prepare suitable
book, alphabetically arranged, in which to
register the names of voters to vote at the
impending election. Such books shall
contain spaces i'll which to inScribe the
name, age, place of nativity and location
of residence, describing the latter def
nitely by ward, street, number OF house,
if any. and cross street. The said mama
gers from each district, or a majority of
them. shall attend from nine O'Clock a. IN.
to two O'Clock p. m, for every day, except
SUNDAYS. for the two weeks Immediately
preceding the election, at some convenient
point i'm their district, of which notice for
ten DAYS shall be given in the official ga
zette of said city, with the books pre-
pared for that district, so that all persons
otherwise qualified may register IN the
districts in which they reside, in order to
vote at said election. All applications to
register must be in person, and no person
shall be registered until he has first per-
sonally answered all questions necessary
to the proper filling of the blanks IN. SAID
books. ANY member Of said board may
swear an applicant for registration touch
ing his right to do so.
SEC. 3. That said act be, and the same
is hereby amended in the fifth 9th sec
ton thereof by adding to said section, af-
ter the last word thereof, the following
words: THE Election Commissioners
provided for i'm section of said act as
hereby amended shall take the same oath
as is prescribed for the members of said
board. and the said Commissioners, or a
majority of them, ut any meeting publicly
called for that purpose shall have
power and authority to fill any and
all vacancies occurring in said Flee
ton Commissioners. 1t shall also
be part of the duty of said Election
Commissioners to cause proper books to
be made out from the Tax Collectors
books of Chatham county and the records
of the Clerk of Councils office for said
city, of all persons in said city who have
paid their poll tax to the county authori-
ties, or the registration fee in lieu thereof
TO said Clerk of Council, since the
adoption of the present constitution;
and one of the books so prepared
shall be given by said Election Com
>missiOners to the three treeholders
appointed to preside in each district,
The actual cost of preparing said
book shall be paid out of the City Treasu-
nv, and when the name of any applicant
for registration does not appear ON said
book he shall not be allowed to register
until he shall have first satisfied said free
holders of the fact that all taxes charged
BILE against him by law, and which he has
had any opportunity to pay, have been in
fact duly paid. and all books used in or
about said election shall be turned over
after the holding of same to said Election
Commissioners, No person, whatever,
save those appointed by law, shall have
access TO such books or any of the infOr-
nation contained therein prior to the hold
ing of the election mt which the same are
TO be used.
SEC. 4. That section six of said act be
and the same is hereby amended by add
ing after the word "act" in the fourth line
thereof ''as herein amended so that the
same shall read: ''rhat if any member of
said board shall become disqualified or
unable to perform said duties his place
may be Immediately filed by another, APP
pointed as prescribed in the second sec
ton of this act as herein amended
and each of said members shall be en-
titled 10 receive for his services while
actually engaged in the performance of
his said duties the sum of three dollars
per day, and each district board shall be
allowed the sum of forty dollars to meet
all clerical and other expenses, and the
actual cost of the books of registration,
which moneys shall be paid out of the
treasury of the city Of Savannah.
SEC. ;. BE il further enacted, That all
laws and parts of laws in conflict with
this act be and the same are hereby re-
pealed.
The following gentlemen have qualified
.l-. e rf.rf- ION,