Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-11-08
ERRORS IN OUR ELECTION METHODS.

One of the outcomes of the election is
the strong conviction in the public mind
of the need of reform in the method of
counting the votes. Under the present
system the same officers who receive the
ballots are continued on duty to count
them. This necessitates one, two, three or
four consecutive days and nights of the
most trying labor. In San Francisco the
law provides for a double board of judges
and inspectors, the members of which may
relieve each other in the duties of canvass
ing the ballots, but this is not permitted
in any other election districts of the State
The law does provide that if Judge of
election cease to act, the inspector, who
is Chairman of the Board, may appoint
another in his place. but this is dependent
upon the voluntary retiracy of one of the
judges, and therefore is defective and does
not meet the objections we raise, besides
being dangerous delegation of power.
There is no appreciable reason why the
law for Son Francisco should not be made
applicable to any election district where
the county Supervisors deem it wise to
avail of it.
No man can work well and with that
accuracy so necessary in determining the
result of the ballots cast, if he is deprived
of his usual rest. 1t is safe to say, there
fore, that when an election officer reaches
the small hours of morning in the work
of calling off and tallying votes, he is
very liable to err, and at such time many
officers are prone to stimulate themselves
by beverages better left untouched When
it comes, however, to loss of rest for two
and three nights. with irregular and hasty
meals, the official is actually unreliable.
He can only secure rest by turning the
count over to his colleagues for a time.
But the law presumes the presence of the
entire election i.9;%.ssl Then every ballot is
unfolded Added to this there is the
feverish anxiety created in the public
mind by long DELAYED returns, under
which business and domestic concerns
suffer In this active age the public
grows very irritable under delays of this
kind.
There are two remedies for these ills
which hazard the public verdict, either of
which will insure clear heads for the
counting of the ballots. One is the mar
rowing of the precincts, so that the vote
may be so small as to be counted within
few hours after the closing of the polls.
The other is to have a separate board
canvass the ballots nearly as rapidly as
they are cast. To both of these there are
serious objections, but none of them are
insuperable, and either plan is better than
that we now have. To the first it is OBJ
jected that the cost of the election
will be increased, but this is answer
able by the statement that there is no ma
terial difference between employing FIVE
men to do q given duty in five days, and ten
men to do it in two and half days, But,
ii is said, the increase of the number of
election boards increases the liability of
frauds upon the elective franchise. But
to this there is no force. Many boards are
not so easily corrupted as a feu.
To the second remedy it is objected that
knowledge of the progress Of the count,
disclosing lack of votes for losing candi-
dates, is an invitation to fraud and corrup-
ton in the interest of the losing ticket
also, that the cost will be doubled by the
establishment of separate returning
board If it is said that the first cannot
be successfully prevented, then we con
fess only the ineapacity and frailty of
human nature. The economic view of
the case cuts no figure whatever in the
matter, so long as it is desirable to preserve
the right of the voter and the inyiolability
of the ballot-box.
There is still another need in the con-
duct of elections. No one should be al
lowed to touch the voters ballot after it
leaves his hand. We have no knowledge
that it has recently been done, but it Ger
tainly IS possible for an expert person to
receive the voters ballot, and deposit in its
stead very different one. A very
little sleight-of-hand knowledge and
practice makes this probable. 1t was
not infrequent in the late election
to see an inspector or judge receive a ballot
in one hand and pass it to the other before
depositing it. In that passage it could be
changed, and we are told by those who
pretend to know that such things have
been done. Sometimes there is delay in
finding the voters name on the register,
conversation ensuess some shifting of posi-
ton, and opportunity in consequence to
effect changes.
Though the law provides that every