St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-10-19
RULES FOR REGISTRATION.
City Attorney Smith Lays Down the
Law for judges.
NO ROOM NOW FOR MISTAKES
Last Election Voters Must Be Copied
The Oath Is Sufficient for ALI
Purposes.

There is no room now for repetition,
next Tuesday, of the doubts and blum
ders concerning registration, which
worked last Tuesday. City Attorney
Smith has prepared an Interpretation OF
the law which sets everything at rest.
Judges must be willfully ignorant who
can go wrong, with the following eX-
plicit instructions:
To the Democratic and Republican Com
mittees of the City of Minneapolis: Having
been informed through the chairman Of each
OF your committees that there is great OIL
Yersity of opinion among the judges of cleo
ZION OF the respective election districts as TO
their duties in making up the registers and
as 10 qualifications of voters; and having
been requested by your respective chairmen
to give my opinion as to what the law is
upon these questions of difference, subm1t
to you the following:
NAMES FROM THE OLD POLL LIST.
Under the provisions OF sections and 70,
of the election law, 1t is clearly the duty OF
the Judges of election in each election dis
trict to consult the poll lists of the last gen.
eral election which contain the names of the
persons who resided in the present election
district at the time of the last election, and
who voted at that election. and to take off
all such names from the old poll list and put
them on to the registry they are now prepaI-
ing. They have no right to leave any name
off from the new list which was on the old
one unless the board knows that he has re-
moved from the district, or is dead or dis
qualified to vote. That is to be the basis or
the registry. The law in my opinion, contem-
plated that so much OF the registry should be
made before the hrst session provided by law
for the meeting of the judges to correct the
list and ada new names. person whose
name is on the last poll LISTS not required to
go and register his name unless ne has re-
moved from the place where he lived when
he voted last. 1t Is the duty OF the Judges TO
put MS name on the list without his request,
and il can be done any time between now
and the day of election. If they fail TO do 1t
ne can have II put on on election day under
the exceptions named in section OF the
act. Tire Judges may furnish themselves
with names from the old poll list, which
shows, or should show the street and num-
Der where each voter resided, or they may pro-
cure certified copies OF the name, or take any
method to obtain the names from the old
poll list, which is most convenient to them
The persons whose names are taken from the
old list are not required TO give their nativity
etc.. as Indicated by the blank form. II is
the duty of the board to make the proper en-
tries as far as they know how to make them.
(See section 49,
1t is only those whose names are not on
the old poll list who are required to make
the affidavit provided for in section "a, when
they appear before the board to have their
names put ON. The board is required 10 ask
all of the questions required by the oath and
make the proper entries provided for IN the
blanks.
CHANGES OF RESIDENCE.
II voter mas moved out of the district
where he last voted into another. he is not
required TO get certificate from the old
board that his name has been stricken Off.
That section only applies to new districts
If q voters name. taken from the old list
should be put on in the district where he last
voted, and he makes application to have his
name registered in another district where he
now resides, such application could be re-
fused until he produced certificate from
the judges of the election district where he
last resided, that his name had been stricken
OFF from the register III that district.
Section 80. of the law which prescribes
what may be done on election day where
voter is challenged who is registered, is so
plain il needs no explanation.
1t is the duty OF the judges IN addition to
those taken from the old poll list, to enter on
the register the names of all persons who ap-
pear before them and make application 10
have their names put on, who will take the
oath and answer all the questions prescribed
in section 73 of the act, and they have no
right TO take his name off. except as they are
authorized to erase it on the oath of two per-
sons, as provided in section 70 of the act.
OATH ON NATURALIZATION PAPERS.
No man is required 10 produce to the
judges his naturalization papers III order to
have his name registered. II he answers all
the questions required by the oath in such
manner rs to entitle HIM under the cOnstitu-
ton and laws of the state to be voter, it is
the duty of the judge to put his name on the
register.
To entitle man TO vote or have his name
registered for that purpose he must be cit
izen of the United States or have declared his
Intentions to become such. and twenty-one
years OF age. He must have resided in the
United States one year, in this state four
months and in the election district where he
votes ten days prior TO the day of election.
1t requires no other or higher qualification
to vote for president or members Of congress
than it does for city offices.
If a foreigner comes to this country hav-
ing minor children and he takes out his sec
Ond papers and becomes q citizen before
his children become of age, such children
are citizens Of the United States and need
not declare their intentions in order to EN-
title them TO vote.
Persons who were born in foreign coun-
try of parents who were citizens of the
United States are citizens of the United
States. and entitled to vote as such. A for
eigner who has served III the United States
army and been discharged, is not for that
reason a voter; he must declare his inten-
tons or be naturaliZed. which he can do
without taking out his first papers.
SIAGRAYE SMITH,
October II, 1888. City Attorney.