Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-08-27
VOTING In ENGLAND.
THE METHOD BY WHICH MEMBERS OF
PARLIAMENT ARE SELECTED.


the shire hall, to receive appeals
from persons who may have changed
their residences since the register
was completed, or who for some
other technical reason are not al
lowed by the presiding officer to
cast their ballots. The polling sta
ton IS a large room, divided across
by a strong railing, with gateway
in it. The rear part Of the room IS
further divided by n railing at
right angles to the first. In the
rear of the room are tables at which
the electors write their ballots
They are divided one from the 9TH
er by high board divisions reaching
to the ceiling of the room, so that
man at one table can neither see
nor be seen by a man at the next.
On the other side of the room and
behind the second railing sits the
presiding officer with his clerk,
while in front of him stands the bal
lot box.
THE BALLOT BOX AND BOOK.
Shortly before o'clock in the
morning of election day a police
man takes his stand at the gate.-
There the presiding officer and his
clerk bring in the ballot box, still
sealed up, and the package of pa
pers. Each candidate is entitled
to have a "personation agent at
each polling station, and in the
presence of these agents the seal OF
the ballot box is broken and the
box shown to be empty. The box
is made of tin, is about a foot and
a half high, and a foot square. On
the top it has q slit about one and
half inches long and fraction of
an inch wide.
In the sealed package of papers
are, first, a complete printed copy
of the register of the borough sec
ond, that portion of the register
which contains the names of the
electors entitled to vote in that poll
ing district; third, a book contain
ing the ballots; fourth, a book con-
tanning fifty ballots printed on col
ored paper, to be handed out under
the objection Of the "personation
agent of either candidate. There
is also a stamp with which TO stamp
each ballot as it is given ont. The
average register has leaves about
as large as those of an unabridged
dictionary, and is about One.third
as thick as that necessary book
Each page is divided INTO five col
umns; in the first appears q num-
Der in the second the voters name.
Then in the third comes his resi-
dence, his occupation in the fourth,
while the property on which he
votes is described in the fifth and
last column. The ballot book is like
large and thick check book, the
ballots being the checks. They are
about as large as the regular small
blotting papers. Each ballot is
numbered, a corresponding number
being printed on the stub which
remains in the book. The names
of the candidates are printed on the
ballot, a large blank space being
left opposite each.
Above each table where the cleo
tors write their ballots hangs no
tice printed in large letters, setting
forth what the voter may and may
not do. When these notices are
put in place and the books laid out
on the table, the presiding officer
and his clerks take Their places,
and at s o'clock the polls are de-
clared open. The would-be voter
passes by the policeman on guard
at the gate, who allows only one
person to enter the inclOsure ut a
time. He goes first to the table,
and gives his name to the presld
ing officer, who finds it in the reg
lister.
"What is your residence :" asks
the presiding officer. The voter
gives it.
"Your occupation ~ continues
the officer; and when the answer
corresponds with the statement in
the register, he asks the voter to
describe the property on which he
claims right to vote.
PREPARING THE BALLOT.
Not until all the questions are
answered in accordance with the
printed form does the presiding
officer offer the voter a ballot paper.
From the register he takes the vO-
ters number, and writes it in ink
on the stub of the ballot book, i'm
mediateIy below the number of the
ballot, which is printed on the
stub. Then he tears out the ballot
paper, stamps it with his stamp,
and hands it over TO the voter, who
goes over to one of the tables
There pens, ink and blotting paper
are provided. There, as he is di-
rected by the printed notice above
the table, he marks a cross against
the name of the candidate for whom
he is voting, blots his ballot, folds
it, and, returning it to the table by
the railing, holds 1t up and drops
it into the ballot box. Having done
this, he makes room for the next
voter.