The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1888-11-23
1900 PER YEAR
FRIDAY NOVEMBER %, 1855.
CARE OF BALLOT BOXES.

The count is over and there Is pro-
badly no chance of anybody calling
the vote in question. and therefore we
may more freely express ourselves OH
the carelessness and law.breaking way
the ballot boxes have been handled ut
this and past elections.
The law requires that when the
count ut the precinct is finished the
totals shall be made up OH duplicate
poll books, one of which shall be
placed in the box along with the bal.
lots and sealed and taken 10y special
messenger to the chairman of the
hoard of county commissioners. The
other book shall he placed in scaled
envelope and sent, by mail or other
wise. to the county auditor. 1t is
evidently the intention of the law
that at no time shall both books and
ballots be under the sole care Of any
one person. For obvious reasons this
ought to be carried strictly into effect.
But what has been the usua, Gus.
tom! The law is generally carried
out all right rs fay as making the du.
plicate books is concerned and placing
one in the box with the ballots. But
the sealing of the box is a mere farce,
and any boy could open it and close it
again without the slightest fear of de.
lection unless some one watched him.
The box is taken to the county seat,
often by u careless messenger who
leaves it lying by itself around depots
or hotels or in the rear of Ills buggy,
as though it were an ordinary bundle
of no value. When he gets to the
county seat he asks for the chairman
of the commissioners, and finds that
lie lives and is ut Drayton or Walhalla.
In this case he generally goes to the
county auditor and would and some.
times does deliver the box to him,
who of all others has no business with
it. because the duplicate book to he
sent by mail also comes to him.
We will remark, however, that
Auditor Bird has always been careful
to have the boxes delivered to til.
custody of the sheriff, fearing that, il
case of dispute, that his own hono
might be questioned: but this has beer
his own foretllought in most cases ant
not that of the messengers.
But worse than this, it is tho com
mon custom for the messenger t,
curry both the box and the duplicate
book to the county seat, and in tina
case, the only safeguard to he hat
from the changing of the returns il
his own honesty, and the ''seals" OF
the ballot box and the duplicate poll
book.
We have not time or space to g,
farther into the details of this Grim
iual carelessnes in the handling thi
most precious right of citizenship
Any one can see how easily the MES
senger, the auditor or any interested
person could find opportunities t
change results.
The remedy for this lies, FIRST il
keeping the duplicate poll.book
separated from the time they AZ
sealed until the vote is counted by tn
county c;nvassing board. Anotlle
remedy would be more secure ballo
box. Such u box should he made o
metal with good Yale lock and key
and if a small combination lock wer
also attached, and the combination
only known to some other official tia
the one into whose hands it Shout
come, it would lie all the more secure
At any rate, the common boxes wOul
be much more safe il properly tie
and sealed with proper WAY after I'll
manner Of valuable express packages
The expense Of procuring u set q
good ballot boxes and seals would b
but Il fraction of the cost of Il c0ntes
arising from the disturbance of I'll,
contents of the rattle.trap concern
that now do duty us the receptacles o
the voters will.