Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-11-03
THE ELECTION LAW.
SOME PoINTsFOR THE PEOPLE TO PONDER
OVER.
Important Changes Made BY the Last Legislature
Heavy Penalties for Bribery and lntmida-
Standardization Of Voters.

erection OF "a 60-foot limit, foe the better
protection of the voter in the free exercise
of his choice, repeating, or c,using the ad-
mission of bad votes or tbs rjsckion of
good cnes. There have been many en-.
quii:s for the publication Of the gist Of
these new provisions and certain provis-
ions of the old statutes, and the exential
parts are given below.
The Iatelligeneer, yesterday, made q
deliberate attempt to confuse and mislead
the voters, by Publishing garbled and
grossly perverted statement Of Sac. D, OF
Chap. 5, of the Code, attempting to make
it appear that no name could be written
upon ballot, but that all changes must be
printed, and printed in red ink. A ballot
may bs changed with psn or pencil, at the
discretion of the voter. The plain intent
snd meaning of the law is to prevent the
printing of CROOKED tickets, or the use Of
stickers, printed in type 60 near lise the
bcdy OF the ticket as TO not be plainly dis
cernib'e. In other words, printed alter
atoms in ballot must bs in red ink, bat
alterations may be written as usual
OPENING AND CLOSING OF POLLS.
Section Z of chapter 3 of the Code pro,
vides ''thst at every election the polls shall
be opened es soon as practicable after sun
riss hut not before sunris.) end shall be
closed at sunset"
QUALIFICATION OF VOTERS.
Section 8 of tbs same chapter says:
ENo psrson who has rot baer
a resident CT the State for ore year, and Of
the county in which he ctfsrs to vote fol
sixty days, next preceding such election,
and who is not, at the time of the election,
al actual and bora fde resident OF the dis
trict in which be offsI s to Vote, shail per
mitted to vote in such district. Nc
person in the employ Of any in
corporated company, or of this State, bi
deemed resident Of any county, or of any
district therein, by reason Of beirg en-
p!oy ed in such county or district"
INTIMIDATION, ETC.
"Any corporation which shsll, by it,
officais, agents, or otherwise, prevent OF
attempt to prevent any voter in IFS en-
plcy from attending any election, or from
freely exercising his right of suffrage al
any election at which he is entitled to
vote by any threat, direct or indirect, eX-
press or implied, to discharge, or deprive
such voter from bis employment, or shall
discharge or deprive such voter from It's
employment, because of any vote he may
cast or refuse to cast, at any election at
which he is entitled to vote, shall be guilty
of O misdemeanor, and shall, upon conVc,
ton, be fined Dos less than five thousand
dollars, nor mora than twenty thousand
dollars, for every such offsnse, at the die
erection of the jury" =,
In Sect on s, of Chapter of the Code il
is set forth that 'aoy corporation which
shall, by its officers, agents, or otherwise,
offer, give or use, or caused to be ott5rsd,
given or used, or place, or cause 10 be
placed. in the possession, under the con-
troll, or at the 6iep0al Of another, 10 ee
of. red, given or used, directly or indirect
liz, any n ouey or other thing of value, fol-
the purpose of influencing any voter OF
voters to vote for particular candidate, CT
in any particular manner, or upon any par
ticular side of any question 70 e b bs decided
q aanE,T sfch election, or to influence the
result of an Y such election, shall be deemed
guilty of o misdemeanor, and shall, upon
conviction, be fined not less ttan hVe
thousaud dollars nor more thaa twenty
Thousand dolla $, at the discretion OF the
juIyI"
DRUNKENNESS.
Section 10 provides thst ''if any candi-
date offer IT, give or distribute among she
voters any intoxicating liquOc on the day
of election he shall, if elected, forfeit his
office" In Section II it is laid down that
"If any person be drunk at or near the place
of holding an election he shall be fined not
lees than ten Tor more than fifty dollars,
and be required to give secari!y for his be-
havior fer six months"
THE SIXTY. FOOT LINE.
SECTION 14.-''Any person who, on the
dsy of election, having inspected the ballot
of a voter, or having furnished q vohr
with q ballot, accompanies such voter
within sixty feet Of the yo,ingplsce whilst
such voter is on his way to the polls for
the purpose Of voting, shall be guilty Of q
misdeme2ro.; or any perto1 ac.lng IN
conjunction with another person who has,
on the day of election, inspGc ed the bal
lot Of voter, or furnished vStsr with q
ballot, who accompanies such voter within
sixty feet of the voting place whilst such
voter is on his way to the pills for th>
purpose of voting, or any person who shall
eau voter hack sitter such voter Gas ap
preached within sixty feet of any voting
place for the purpose of casting vo:e, and
shall inspect or change the ballot Of tuch
vCtsr, or shsll give o. offer 10 such SO'er
another or different ballot, shall be Gu lty
of q misdsmear Or"
Sec. Is. mo ticket or ballot shall, on
the day Of election, be given or delivered
to or recsived by, any person within sky
feet of the voting place-exCeps be bs one
of the commissioners of election, who shall
receive the same only at the ballot box,
and in his official capacity"
The penalty for q violation of either OF
these sections il a fine Of not les than S25
nor moe than $500, and imprisonment, at
the discretion of the Court, not less than
ten ncr more than ninety days"
BETTING.
Sec. 9, chapter ., 'If any person bat or
wager money or other article of value on
any election 10 this State, he shall forfeit
the value o. surh money or othsr thicg,
aud fifty drllars in addition thereto for
every such otf~nse"
FORM OF BALLOTS.
Section of chapter says that |" If any
person with intent to deceive
any voter, furnish him ballot and inform
him, or in any msnnsr give s1ch voter to
urde.s' aud, that it contained a name
written or printed thereon different from
the name which Is written or printei
there n; or with like intent, alter the bal
lot of such voter by marking oUs tie Dsme
of any person for whom such voter cenfes
to vote; or with like intent, Wi the name
of any person on such ballot other than
these directed by the voter; or With like
intent, make any alteration thereof
whether sach ballot be voted or not; or
lHsfraud any voter at any election by de-
es;vins and Sansing him to vote for diff