New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-05
TIE BALLOT REFORN BILL.


The bill providing for the printing and
distribution OF ballots at the public expense has
| been made special order in the Assembly for
to-day. 1t has been carefully put together out
Of several measures before the Legislature, its
main foundation, however, being the bill of
| the Commonwealth Club Of this city, 1t in
| PRODUCES reform which may have vast moral
| consequence in checking assessments and brlb-
| cry, besides relieving citizens of both parties
| of burden of expenses which the Government
| ought to bear, and it is therefore of great inn
| potance to know whether it is sound and
practical measure.
One of the most important features of the
| Judiciary Committees bill is that the law will
| not take effect until January l, 1889. The
Presidential election will therefore be held ac-
cording to our present methods This is wise
exception both with view to the success OF
the bill and the operation OF the new system
Members Of either party might easily fear that
the other would reap some advantage from the
attempt to introduce a new method of voting
in a Presidential election, when the number OF
offices TO be voted for is so great and excite
ment runs so high. There would be some
ground for this distrust. because, for these
very reasons, there might be serious confusion
and delay 1t will be much better to in
augurate the new system in an of year.
In commenting upon the various bills, as they
were first offered in the Legislature, THE
TRIBUNE directed attention to one defect in
the Commonwealth Club bill which threatened
TO be fatal. This was the requirement that
the names Of all candidates for the same office
should be placed in alphabetical order upon the
same ballot, without indicating their politics
If this rule had been applied to the State ticket
last November the voter would have had to
cross out thirty-three names TO vote for five
candidates, and he would have had to take
a newspaper list along probably to tell him who
| the FIVE were. On the city and county ticket
he would have had 10 cross out twenty-eight
in order to vote for ten and so on This rc-
qurement ignored entirely the vast difference
between the conditions existing in England and
here. The new bill deals with this difficulty
| in a commonsense way. Each ballot will con-
tain the names of all tho candidates, but they
will be arranged in party groups headed by
| the party name, so that the citizen who wants
to vote his party ticket straight will find it
| right before him. This removes the principal
cause of danger that the new system might
| break down of its own weight.
| The bill provides for placing upon the bal
lots nominations made by any convention rep
resentlng a party which cast not less than 3
per cent u the entire vote cast at the last cleo
ton in the State, county or other political di-
vision for which the nomination is made. In
dependent movements are provided for by al
lowing the names of candidates not nominated
by a convention TO be placed upon the ballots
upon written nomination signed by one per
cent of the voters at the previous election, not
more than 1000 signatures being required
however, in any case. Two ballot-clerks are To
be appointed or elected in each election dis
trict 10 distribute the ballots. Compartments
are 10 be provided in which the voter can
mark his ballot free from observation. The
regulations tor securing the secrecy of the bal
| lot by shutting out persons not actually occu-
pied in casting and receiving votes. forbiddng
eectioneeiing about the polls, prohibiting
election officers from disclosing how electors
have voted, etc.. are stringent and seem likely
to be effective.
This measure has the support Of all the au-
thors of bills on this subject, one Of whom is
a Democrat. We hope this may be an augury
of the support of both parties. 1t deserves
This. 1t is non-partisan bill, embodies val
liable reform, and while it may be susceptible
of improvement in minor details, seems TO be
| in all essentials wisely framed.
|