The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1888-03-03
A New Registration for the
Counties.

While the Democratic party in this
State stands pledged to the people to
redeem its promises of an amended
election law, the demand for it is not
by any means restricted to Baltimore
city. We need a more frequent regis
tration of legal voters in the counties,
as provided in an amendment offered
in the Legislature by Mr.. Higgins of
Talbot county on Tuesday. The de-
bate on this amendment shows the nee
essity for it. Under the old registration
law the fact of mans name being on
the list of registered voters only afforded
by1ma tacia, not final evidence of his
right to vote. But under the present
law the fact of registration affords con-
elusive evidence of that right. If |
voters name is on the list, the judges |
have no discretion in the premises, they
must accept his ballot when he tenders
it. Although called judges they have
no judicial authority to decide any
question touching his qualification as
legal voter. Their functions are purely
clerical. They sit with the copies of
the registration list before them, and
there being no question as to the iden-
tity of the individual voter, if his name
appears upon the list, they must receive,
deposit, and count his ballot.
Now as 1t happens that there is no
periodic and thorough correction of the
registration lists, voters frequently leave
the county with the intention of remain
ing permanently beyond the limits of
the State, but it through design or neg
igence the register fails to strike their |
names from the list, there is nothing to
prevent their returning and claiming
their ballot, although long since dis
qualified by voluntary change of resi-
dence There were, last fall and doubt
less there are still number of names |
upon the list of qualified voters for the
Third election district in this county, |
whose owners had long since ceased to
be residents either of the State or
county. Had they returned here and
offered their votes the judges could not
have declined to receive them. 1t IS
probable that the registration list of
every district in the county shows SINH
lar cases, and the entire number ofsuch
illegal voters might in closely con-
tested election be sufficient to determine
the result of that election. This condi-
ton exits all over the State. A delegate
in the Legislature-Mr. Higgins sad
on Tuesday that there were five hun
dred names on the registration lists of |
Talbot county which should be erased
Another delegate from St. Mary's county
stated that many people had left his
county many years ago that they were
now engaged in business pursuits in
Baltimore and elsewhere, and yet they |
come to the county once year Con |
election day. to vote. Futile efforts
had been made to strike off these names
Similar cases exist in all the counties, |
the annual revision provided under the
present law being insufficient to purge |
the lists of the names of disqualified |
voters. The remedy for this evil lies
in stated re-registration of voters not
less than once in every four years. BY
this means public attention is drawn to
the lists, and facts pertinent to the
qualification of voters can be brought
to the knowledge and attention of the
registers. We do not mean to assert
or even to imply that there is a register
of voters in this county who knowingly
and wilfully retains on his list the names
Of disqualified voters, but the register
himself cannot necessarily possess a
personal knowledge of every case, and
unless positive evidence of disqualified
ton be furnished him, he will not strike
a name from the list. We hope to see |
the present Legislature provide quad
riennial registration of the legal voters
of the State, although the summary
defeat of Mr.. higgins amendment pro-
posing such on Tuesday, is not very |
assuring.