The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-08-03


vote in that parish by reason of
holding property in the county. The
Board of Returning Solicitors, con-
sisting of five solicitors appointed
by the Crown, does the same thing
for each borough in Great Britain
and Ireland. These lists remain on
the doors of the churches until the
Monday after the second Sunday of
August. On that day they are taken
down by the Sheriff and returning
officers, and on the 10th of Septem-
Der they are laid before the revising
barrister of each borough and each
county. Before the lists are laid
before him, however, notices of OBJ
iections to any names must he filed
with him.
When Sheriff receives the writ
for the election in any county or
borough he notifies the Home Office
in London of the day on which he
will hold it--as said above, he gen
orally fixes the last day of the time
allowed him-and notifies the re-
vising barrister if the election is a
county election, and the revising
barrister and returning officers il it
is borough election. The return
ing officers select presiding officer
to sit at each of the polling stations
in the borough, and appoint as many
clerks as may be necessary, the
number being regulated by law.
On the day before the election the
returning officers, presiding officers
and clerks make oath to do their
duty secretly and honestly and the
presiding officer receives the ballot
box, sealed up, and sealed pack
age containg the necessary books
and papers to be used at his polling
station.
The polls are open on election
day from 8 O'Clock A. NJ. until 8
O'Clock p. NJ, 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, or who for some
other technical reason are not
allowed by the presiding officer to
cast their ballots. The polling
station is large room, divided
across by a strong railing with a
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 ballots.
They are divided one from the other
by high board divisions reaching to
the ceiling of the room, so that
man at one table can neither see nor
be seen by man at the next. On
the other side of the room and be-
hind the second railing is the pre-
siding officer with his clerk, while in
front of him stands the ballot box.
Shortly before 8 O'Clock in the
morning of election day policeman
takes his stand at the gate. Then
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 those
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 half high and a
foot square. On the top it has a
slit about one and half inches long
and fraction of an inch wide.
In the sealed package of papers
are, first, complete printed copy
of the register of the borough; f;
second, that portion of the register
which contains the names OF the
electors entitled to vote in that
polling district; third, book con-
tanning fifty ballots printed on
colored paper, to be handed out
under the objection of the persona
ton agent" of either candidate.
There is also stamp with which to
stamp each ballot as it is given out.
The average register has leaves
about as large as those of an un-
abridged dictionary, and is about
one-third as thick as that necessary
book. Each page is divided into
five columns; in the first appears a
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 10 the fifth and
J 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 bIotting papers. Each ballot
numbered, corresponding number
being printed on the stub, which re-
, mains in the book. The names OF
the candidates are printed on the
ballot, large blank space being
left opposite each.
3 Above each table where the elcc.
I tors write their ballots hangs q
a notice printed in large letters, set
r ting forth what the voter may OF
l may not do. When these notes are
t put in place and the books laid ou
I on the table, the presiding officer