Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1889-01-21
THE AUSTRALIAN PLAN.
Councilman Hughes Bill
to Regulate Voting.
A Measure Full OF New and Unique
Regulations.

the Dakota legislature by Councilman
Hughes to provide new system of
voting. 1t is called the Australian plan !:
| A bill for an sot to secure more fully
the independence OF electors at public
elections, to enforce the secrecy of the
ballot, and to provide for the printing
and distribution of ballots at pubic ex.
pense.
4 Be it enacted by the Legislative as
sembly of the territory OF Dakota:
Section 1. ALI ballots cast in elections
for public officers within this territory
shall be printed and distributed ut pub
lie expense, as hereinafter provided.
The printing of ballots and cards OF in
struotloa for the electors of each county,
and the delivery OF the same to the eieu.
tion officers, as hereinafter provided,
shall be q county charge, the payment
OF which will be provided for in the same
manner as the payment of other county
expenses, but the expense of printing
and delivering the ballots shall, in the
case OF municipal elections, be q charge
upon the city in which such election
shall be held.
Sec. Q. Any convention or primary
meeting as hereinafter defined, held for
the purpose OF making nominations to
| public office, and also electors TO the
fnumber hereinafter specified, may nom
mate candidates. for public Office to be
filled by election within the territory. A
convention or primary meeting within
the meaning of this act is an organized
Rssemblage of electors or delegates rep
lreseDting political party which at the
last election before the holding OF such
convention or primary meeting polled at
least l per cent OF the entire vote cast in
the territory, county or other pre- ecinct
for which the nomination is made.
| Sec. 3. All nominations made by such
convention or primary meeting shall be
certified as follows: The certificate OF
nomination, which shall be IN writing,
shall contain the name of each psfson
nominated, his residence, his business
address end the office for which he is
named, and shall designate, in NOT more
than five words, the party or principle
which such convention or primary meet
ing represents. L1 Ahell be signed by
the presiding officer and secretary Of
such convention or primary meeting,
who shslT add to their signatures their
respective places ofresidence, their bust.
ness and business addresses, and make
oath before an officer qualified to admin
lister the same that the atlantis were such
officers OF such convention or primary
, meeting, and tbat said certificate end
, the statements therein contained are
true to the best of their knowledge end
belief. A certificate that such oath has
been administered shall be made and
signed by the officer before whom the
same wBs taken.
j Sec. T. Certificates of nomination OF
candidates for office to be filed by the
electors OF the entire territory, or any Gi
vision or district greater than county,
shall be filed by the secretary Of the ter
ritory. All other certificates of nomina
tion shall be filed with the CLERKS of the
respective counties wherein the officers
are to be elected.
Sec. Candidates for public otfic g
mag be nominated otherwise than by a
convention or primary meeting in the
manner following: a certificate of pomin-
alton containing the name OF a candidate
for the office to be filed, with such in
formation as is required to be given 10
certificates, provided for by section OF
this act, shall be signed by electors re-
siding within the precinct or political
division in end tor which the officer or
officers are to be elected, equal in
number to OF least per cent OF the Ell.
tire vote cast ct the last preceding cleo.
tion in the territory, county, or other di
vision or precinct for which the nomina-
tinn is to be made; provided, however,
that the number of signatures so re-
| quired shall not exceed 500 when the
animation is for an office TO be fiilsd by
the electors of the entire territory, and
shall not exceed fifty when the election
| Is for an Office to be filled by the electors
OF county, precinct, or other division
less than the territory; and. provided
also, that the said signatures need not
ell be appended to one paper. Each
elector signing certificate shall add to
his signature his place OF residence, his
business, and business address. and shall.
before an officer duly authorized to take
Acknowledgements, acknowledge his
| signature, and that he is On elector and
has truly stated his residence, business
and business address. Such certificates
when executed and acknowledged as
above prescribed, may be filed eg pro
vided for In section 4 of this act, IN the
same manner and with the same effect
as certificate of nomination made by a
party convention or primary meeting.
Sec. 6. No certificate of nomination
shall contain the name Of more than one
candidate for each Office to be filed. No
person shall join in nominating more
than one person for each office to be
filled; and no person shall accept o
nomination to more than one Office.
| Sc. Z. The secretary OF the terri
tory shall cause to be preserved in his
Office all certificates filed therein under
the provisions OF this act; and each
county clerk shall cause to be preserved
J in his office ell certificates of nomination
filed therein under the provisions of this
act. All such certificates she'll be open
to public inspection under proper regn.
lations to be made by tho officers with
whom the same are filed.
II Sec. s. Certificates of nomination,
| fled with the secretary OF the territory,
shall be filed not more than forty days
.. and not less than twenty days before the
day fixed by law for the election of the
J persons in nomination Certificates OF
! nomination herein directed to be filed
with county clerk shall be filed not
. more than thirty and notless than fifteen
days before election.
Sec. g.. Not less than fifteen days
, before an election to fill any public Of
fee, fhe SECRETARY of the territory shall
!, certify TO the county clerk Of each county
) within which any Of this electors may by
J Law vote for candidates for such Office,
the names and the description OF each
/ person nominated for such Office, Rs
] specified in the certificates OF nomination
a filed with the secretary OF the territory
!. Sec. 10. At least seven days before
Ian election to fill any public office, the