Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-01-18
ELECTION REFORMS.

- $500
In the consideration of the reform of
our election laws regarding the counting
OF votes, let the suggestion the REcoRB-
Union made in November last, and which
ut has several times elaborated and ex-
plained, be not lost sight of-that Is, to
have the counting done by the Courts.
Governor Waterman in his message has
called the attention of the Legislature to
the urgent need of reform, by some severe
method, 10 this direction. He advises
that the law be so amended as TO require
the appointment of reliable men, those in
whom the people will repose confidence, to
the Election Board positions. That is sound
advice, but unfortunately action under
such requirement must remain subject to
the private judgment; it would be impos-
sible to follow and punish the appointing
power for putting a weak or bad man in
place, since it could never be made to
appear that such appointing power knew
or believed the man to be,vicious.
The REcoRD-UNIoN's plan is to have
the counting done under the eye of the
Superior Courts. The Courts can name As
many clerks rs are needed to perform
the clerical work, and these would be
fewer in number than the clerks Of
Election Boards, and hence the expendi-
tpre Uruld ha lass ,+bo, % ,,ro.o..t A.
soon as the polls closed in each precinct,
the Judges and Inspectors would be re-
CURED to publicly seel and deliver to the
Courts officers the ballot-box and the poll
lists, and these being then put into the
same custody as at present, would at the
earliest possible moment by that custodian
the Clerk, be brought into Court, where
the clerical counters, corresponding to the
number of precincts Ito secure rapidity)
would proceed to call off the ballots and
tally them. The only extension of time
in this process would be that involved in
transferring the ballot-boxes, and it
should not much exceed that now con-
sumed in bringing in news of the precinct
counts. Under this open-Court method
there could be inspection of the ballots BY
the representatives of the respective poIiti-
cal parties, and objections to counting any
ballot could he taken as is now done in re-
counting. In short, the proceeding would
be precisely that to which resort is had in
case there is demand for recount. ex-
cept that to insure rapidity, more than one
set of tellers would be employed. If we
must resort to the Courts-as was necessary
in San Francisco recently-to ascertain
the true result of an election, why not 90
to the judiciary In the first instance?
Ii this plan, however, does not meet
with favor in the Legislature, certainly the
next best is to require the Judges of the
Superior Courts to name the election
officers, and to hear objections to
their nominations and pass upon them
before issuing certificates to them.
1t is a wise suggestion, also, reflected in
Senator Dray's bill, to require the count
ing to be done in large, airy, well-lighted
rooms, and that admission to inspection of
the count as it proceeds, shall be given to
several representatives of the contending
parties, and that the count must proceed
openly and in the presence of the public.
1t would be well to supplement such
provision with this further one: that no
polling place shall be located within three
hundred feet Of any bar or place where
intoxicating liquors are sold; that the
counting of the ballots shall not take place
in any room of any building in which
liquor Is sold, or IN any room of any build
ing adjacent to liquor saloon or place
where liquor is sold. We are perfectly
well aware that IN Sacramento, as well as
in San Francisco, in certain wards it would
be almost impossible to secure three hun
dred feet of distance between a polling
place and saloon, so thickly populated
are some blocks with the latter; but less
distance would not enable desired results
to be achieved, and even much greater
distance would be better. But if drink
ing bars remain so thickly grouped as
upon some public streets, let the polls be
removed to back streets OF wards or into
residence sections. There can be no effec-
tive election reform so long as polling
places areas is now SO generally true
attachments to saloons, and apparently
mortgaged to the liquor traffic A long
step in the direction OF taking the saloon
out of politics is that which takes the
polling place out of the saloon.