Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-11-04
.VOTIkG IN ENGLAND.

,tUIlNU LIN ENULAND.
THE METHOD BY WHICH MEMBERS
OF PARLIAMENT ARE, SELECTED.
The Polling Place, Ballot Box and Book.
Writing and Stamping Bsilcts-In Case
Objection is Made-AIl Paper Accounted
for.
The polls are open on election day from
O'Clock a. m until s o'clock p H., and the
presiding officer, with his clerk or clerks, is
on duty at the polling station all that time.
The returning officers of the borough sit in
the vestry hall at the parish church, and the
sheriff in the shire hall, to receive appeals
from persons who may have changed their
residences since the register was completed, OF
who for some other technical reason are not
allowed by the presiding efficcr to cast their
ballots. The polling station is large room,
divided across by strong railing, with
gateway in it. The rear part OF the room is
further divided by railing at right angles
to the first In the rear of the room are
tables at which the electors write their bal
lots They are divided one from the other by
high board divisions reaching to the ceiling
of the room, so that a man at one table can
neither see nor be seen by 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
b lllot box.
THE BALLOT BOX AND BOOZE
Shortly before o'clock in the morning of
election day policeman 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 papers Each candidate is
entitled to have '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 foot and a half high,
and foot square. On the top it has slit
| about one and half inches long and a frac-
ton of an inch wide.
In the sealed package of papers are, first, a
complete printed copy of the register of the
| borough; second. that portion of the register
which contains the names of the electors en-
titled to vote in that polling district; third, a
book containing the ballots; fourth, book
ftftiIiiltS litN vi NOttISd
paper. to he handed out under the objection
| of the ''personation agent" of either candi-
| date. There is also stamp with which to
| Etamp each ballot as it is given out The
average register has leaves about as large as
| those of an unabridged dictionary, and is
about one-third us thick as that necessary
| book Each page is divided into five
| columns; in the first appears number, in
| the second the voters name. Then in the
| third comes his residence 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 a 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, n
| corresponding number being printed on the
stub which remains in the book The names
| If the candidates are printed on the ballot, a
large blank space being left opposite each.
Above each table where the electors write
their ballots hangs notice 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 O'Clock the polls are declared
| open The would-be voter passes by the
policeman on guard at the gate, who allows
| only one person To enter the Enclosure at a
time. He goes first to the table. and gives his
name to the presiding officer, who finds it in
the register.
What is your residoncc asks the presid-
ing officer The voter gives it.
Your occupationgr 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 a
| right to vote.
PREPARING THE BALLOT
| Not until all the questions are answered il,
accordance with the printed form does the
presiding officer offer the voter ballot paper.
| From the register he takes the voters mum.
Der, and writes it in ink on the stub of the
ballot book Immediately below the number
| of the ballot, which is printed on the Sub.
Then he tears out the ballot paper, stamps il
with his stamp, and hands it to the voter, who
goes over to one of the tables. There pens,
ink and hlotting paper are provided. There,
| as he is directed by the printed notice above
the table he marks cross against the name
| of the candidate for whom he is voting, blots
| his ballot, folds it, and, returning il TO the
| table by the railing, holds it up and drops il
into the ballot box. Having done this, he
makes room for the next voter
| In case any objection is made by the agent.
Of either candidate, and the voter insists upon
| casting his ballot, the presiding officer gives
| him ballot paper from the small ballot book
| The procedure is the same as though the mar
| were casting an unchallenged vote, but hi
| ballet is thrown aside when the votes are
| counted and the objections to it considered
later before it is counted. If any voter is un
| able TO read or write, it is the sworn duty Of
the presiding officer TO go with him to the
table, tell him the names of the candidates, and
| place the cross opposite the name that the
voter wishes, and he must never reveal the
same of the candidate SO selected.
| The polls are closed at O'Clock in the even
th,, after having been open twelve hours
The presiding officer is expected to be present
| all the time; he is allowed to be absent moi
more than thirty minutes during the twelve
hours, and for those thirty minutes he mus,
appoint deputy, Immediately on the closs
of the polls the ballot box is sealed up, all Tia
| papers and books made into q parcel, all bal
| lots spoiled by voters placed together and
4 sealed and an account made of every piece Of
| paper used in the polling booth during The
| dav. The presiding officer and his clerks
with the agents, then take the box and pack
| ages TO the shire town Of tho county, wher.
| he swcars to his returns and where the vote
| nre counted-New York Sun
| Paul II. Hayne, the Southern Poet.
OF slight build. and figure below the
medium height; he stands straight as ar
| md rc a