Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-11-08
REFORM OF THE ELECTION LAW.

REFORM OF THE ELECTION LAW.
In San Francisco sixty-two of the cleo
ton boards sealed up the extra tally-sheet
and bulletin of totals in the envelope
transmitted to the Registrar. This stupid
action prevents the public knowing, until
the official canvass is made, what the re-
suit of the election is. 1t is true that the
tally-sheets committed to each Inspector
and by them to be kept for six months,
may be consulted but as these are open
sheets and may be changed to suit the
within of any one, they are not considered
accurate sources of information. In this
county, as in San Francisco, some such
blunders were committed as referred to in
San Francisco.
1t is mystery that has puzzled news
paper men for many years why the aver
age citizen when placed upon an election
board becomes incompetent to discharge
duty less onerous or involved than many
of the duties of his daily life in business.
Yet t. at this is true in a vast number of
cases, all newspaper men will bear witness.
1t is proverbial in newspaper offices that
if twenty election officers are requested to
fill blanks of the result of balloting in
their precincts, and agree to do so, ten of
them will do it in manner to confuse and
involve, while eighteen Of them will fail
to give the total vote cast in their pre-
cincts as shown by the last numbered
name on the poll list.
1t was just as bad under the old election
system, and is not therefore chargeable to
the law 1t would seem that the more ex-
plicit the instructions are printed on the
blanks and envelopes, the greater the
liability of the officers to err We recall
one instance where upon the official en-
velope there appeared in large, bold type
of very broad face, the words "In this en-
velope seal up one tally-sheet, ETC." Yet
board of three officers and two clerks, of
fair intelligence, placed all the tally-sheets
in that cover and sealed it. In another
case in this city both tally-sheets were left
out of the official envelope one was cast
loosely into the ballot-box, and one taken
home by clerk. Yet the board was COM
posed of honest men, and there was no in
centive in the election to tempt them to
irregularity.
Either our series of blanks furnished
election boards are too elaborate in detail,
and the directions to the officers of election
unintelligible, or else the standard of in
telligence for election officials is too low.
The innumerable blunders made at every
election, the contests provoked by irregu-
iarity of proceedings, the cost to which the
people are put by reason of the failure OF
election boards to follow instructions, sug-
gest the thought that some amendments to
the scheme of making returns ought to be
made, and that higher grade of intelli-
gence and of clerical capacity should be
demanded for election boards.
Observation and study of the subject for
some years convinces us that there is I'M
necessary detail in the blanks and instruc-
tions which tends to confuse the officers
that the instructions are not, as a rule,
nearly so clear as they might be made;
that the directions to the whole board
would be better followed if addressed in
subdivisions to the officers of the board.
For instance, let one tally sheet and bulle-
tin be printed "For the Inspector" and an
envelope furnished for it Endorsed corre-
spondingly and bearing his name. Let the
other sheets be marked for deposit in an
envelope prepared for them, and let it be
made the duty of the senior Judge, nam
ing him, 10 deposit them in that envelope,
the other officers by signature attesting the
fact. Let still another envelope be pro-
vided for the ballots, and it be made the
sole duty of the junior Judge, naming him
on the envelope, to place the ballots in
that envelope, the other officers attesting
the act.
By some such arrangement the blunder
the sixty-two boards fell into in San
Francisco on Tuesday would be ali but i'm
possible of commission. To such simpli6-
cation, or rather personal division of the
duty of making returns should be added
certain qualifications of intelligence. Every
board should have at least one clerk acc1s-
toned to clerical work, and whether he is
a taxpayer or not, should make no sort of
difference. At least one member of each
board should be qualified by known capac
ity of intellect and practice in business
affairs. 1t should be impossible for that to
occur which we have seen in this city, an
Inspector or a Judge serving who could
not read print, much less handwriting,
The law that excludes from Election
Boards those not upon the assessment roll
teachers, clerks in official stations,
Young men fresh from commercial schools
and the desk of the business house, but