The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1890-06-12
AUSTRALIAN BALLOT SYSTEM.

In accordance with what Is understood
70 be general wish, the groundwork OF
the Australian system is now published.
Notifications have been made where it
has been adopted. Party nominations
have been substituted for or associated
with that here described and party
tickets put instead of those named in the
Law. Alphabetical order of names on
tickets prevails in one State, while in
another an officer is inside the rail to
assist voters in fixing their tickets.
Cards Of instruction are by some edi-
tions of the law required to be posted at
the voting places, and some even require
specimen ballots to be shown the voters.
Some laws allow the voter to substitute
names for those on the official ballot, and
one State permits him to write his ballot
in full
ABSTRACT OF THE LAW.
After the Governors published procla-
nation of the officers to be elected, stat
ing the time and places of registration
and time and places of voting, naming
for each county three registrars not OF
the same political faith, and for each
precinct three judges and two clerks, no
one Of whom shall be of the same politi-
,al faith, occurs in thirty days.
REGISTRATION.
The name, postoffice address, precinct,
residence, and in cities street and num-
Der, of each voter, is taken down by the
registrars, who make a voting list for
each precinct in their county, and this
registratio county book must be COM
plete and open to public inspection
eighty days before election. Contests,
trials and appeals to the courts are pro-
vided.
NOMINATION..
Thirty days before election all nomi-
nations must be on file with the Secre-
tary of State. The nomination states the
| name, residence and postoffice address
of the nominee, street and number if
any, and also the office for which he is
nominated, and the party or political
principle which he represents, must be
signed by five per cent of the registered
voters, each affixing his name, post
office, precinct, residence, street and
number, and the registrars certificate
of conformity to their book must be at
tached, and the genuineness of the sig
natures must be attested by affidavits of
one or moro of the Signers, said
affidavits being attached. When so pre-
pared the nomination is entitled to be
filed with the Secretary of State, who is
clerk of the State Board of Control, and
contests, Withdrawals, trials, ETC., are be-
fore said board duly provided for. But
a man once having filed his nomination
paper is up for the whole election and
cannot withdraw except by formal act
and deed acknowledged before public
officer authorized to take acknowledge
ments of deeds. Decisions of the State
Board of Control are subject to the
supervision of the regularly constituted
courts pursuant to the ordinary course
of procedure. Nomination papers,
when filed, remain public records and
are preserved by the Secretary of State
open to public inspection. Any
registered voter can sign one nomina-
tion paper and no more for the same
Office.
BALLOT BOX.
The State Board of Control provides
box for each precinct, made partly of
glass, so as at all times to expose its
contents to public view, with lock and
key and an opening in top to fit the
folded ballot.
BALLOTS.
The tickets are, like the boxes, pro-
yided at the expense of the State, and
are so folded in marked creases that the
face is completely concealed, and their
width and thickness when folded is such
as to enable voters to deposit them
through opening in the top of the ballot
box. The State Board of Control pre-
pares the tickets from the nomination
papers on file. Every ballot contains
the names of all candidates whose nomi-
nations for the Office specified in the
ticket have been made and not with
drawn, with their residences and post
office addresses, printed so as to enable
each voter to designate by mark In
square in a margin at the right of the
name of each candidate his choice,
which is done by marking all except the
ones he favors. The tickets are printed
in as many different forms as there are
nominees, so that each nominee shall
occupy each position in the column OF
names the same number of times as
every other nominee. On the back and
outside when folded is printed ''Official
State Ballot" followed in writing by
the precinct for which the ballot is pre-
pared and the date of the election,
written by the State Board of Control,
whose signatures or fac-similies thereof
are appended.
DELIVERY OF TICKETS.
Three times as many tickets are pre-
pared for each precinct as voters are
registered, and are packed SO that no
two of the same form succeed each other
in two packages for each precinct, sealed
with the seal of the State and the State
Board of Controls signature or fac simile
thereof, indorsed with the number and
precinct of the ballots inclosed. These
are sent separately at different times
ten days before election and by different
methods to the county registrars, whose
receipts are taken and filed by the
Secretary of State, for said package con-
tanning said number of said precinct
tickets for such election. Four days be-
fore the election the registrars deliver