Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-11
Our Election Methods.

l0e HERALD dtlAhAoA va w. Nf
on the methods in vogue with us OF
cou nting the votes and declaring the
election returns. By dispatch in
the press OF yesterday it appears that
the. dissatisfaction on this head is
general. No wonder it is. Had pop
ular elections been known in the days
of the Cave-dwellers, or Troglodytes,
the machinery by which the votes are
here handled had, no doubt, been
much superior to that obtaining in
California, albeit she is
"The heir of all the ages
"In the foremost files of time"
1t is now eight days since the elec-
tion was held. The total vote OF the
State is less than 200, 900. The num-
ber voting in San Francisco is short
of $4,000. On the same day that our
election was held New York city
voted for Mayor and other officers.
The vote polled in that city was
much larger than that of this entire
State, and more thanfour times larger
than the vote of San Francisco. AS
given it was: For Hewitt 80, ,456;
George $3.50; Roosevelt 60,474;
total OF 21S,S60 votes cast. The total
registration of New York city Is 1885,
774. In two days after the election the
results of this canvass were known
from one end OF the country to the
other. Eight days after our election
closes the candidates are for the
most part more or less in doubt as to
the results. To be sure, with 10000
or 10000 majorities it is easier to do
this. But were it majority OF one
vote, it would be known who had the
slimmest of possible majorities with
In the time. In the city of San Fran
cisco, the doubt-tossed candidate is
told to bear with philosophic resig-
nation delay OF ten more days, at
the end OF which time the promise
of something definite is held out to
him-perhaps. Some of the county
officers are in the same state OF doubt.
In the northern counties, and in San
Diego in the south, the supervisors do
not meet until next Monday to canvass
the vote. Some of the State officers
may be obliged to wait until fully two
weeks after the election to get official
returns from these counties. The
Congressman from these Districts
may be in doubt pending such official
count.
There are to be sure the unofficial
newspaper estimates and reports.
In close scratches these cannot be
depended on. The HERALD has been
at its greatest pains, and has spared
no expense to get such information
as was available. In the main such
figures as we have given from private
sources have come much nearer the
truth than any others, out even in
these errors were unavoidable. Had
the maiorities been in the thousand
order of figures, or even in half
thousands, such reports would have
been quite satisfactory.
Now why is it that New York gets
at definite results on quarter of
million votes within a few hours, and
we reach nothing definite in two
weeks? The trouble is in the system
of voting, and in that of counting the
votes. In the city of Philadelphia
each precinct embraces about 800
voters. In New York the effort is to
get the number down to 250 voters
in each district. Then in the large
cities, where good methods are prac-
ticed, there are two boards OF elec-
ton. One receives the vote, and
each hour the boxes being changed
the other board carries on the count
simultaneously as the voting pro-
ceeds.
Then in the method OF counting,
this State is a whole generation be-
hind the age. Here every vote is
counted by reading each name from
that Of the Governor at the top, to
the last Constable at the foot. Where
there are thirty or forty names ON the
ticket such a process is most labori-
GUS, and very few ballots are disposed
of in an hour.
Where an enlightened course of
procedure is observed all the
straight" ballots are first placed in
. pile for each party, and the sum OF
these represents so many for
each candidate ON that ticket.
The scratched" ballots are treated
somewhat after our method of proce-
dure. BY these means the counting
Is kept very nearly abreast Of the vot-
ng, and an hour or SO after the polls
lose the precinct poll lists are ready
% deliver to the official custodians
hereof.