Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-01-29
New Election Law.
WOMEN CAN VOTE - OTHER QUESTIONS
WORTH LOOKING INTO

The Portage Daily Register says if
the election laws passed by the last leg
lslature are to govern the spring cleo
tons, as we suppose they must, state,
county, city and town officials will have
not little to do to make themselves
familiar with the provisions of the laws,
and the people generally would do well
to begin to study out the methods of
putting candidates in the field and vot-
ing for them at the election.
In the first place there must be reg
lstratlon of electors in cities, for both
spring and fall elections, and it may | e
held that no person can vote in cities
unless he is registered.
Then comes chapter 248, as amended
by chapter 494, laws of 1889, commonly
knowna as the Cooper law" embodying
the Australian system of voting. Sec
ton says: ''This act shall not apply
to elections for town and village Off
GERS" etc. The next section provides
that "all ballots cast in elections for
public officers within this state, after
the first day of October in the year 1889,
and all ballots cast in municipal cleo
tlons in cities excepting [Milwaukee1
shall be printed and distributed at the
public expense as hereinafter provid-
ed" Everything that follows carries
the idea that the names of all candi-
dates to be voted for in the spring in
this city-judge, city officers and school
officers-must be on one ballot, and the
elector il to receive bis ballot at the
polling place from the ballot clerks
| alone, and he must designate the can
| didate he votes for by placing an K
after the name of the candidate
Section II provides that the ballots
must be printed on white paper and
shall be not more than 133 inches long
and not less than II inches wide.
The question now arises, how are
judges to be voted for in towns? It
seems to be clear that they must be
voted for on the same ballot with city
officers, but towns are expressly ex-
empted from the operations of the law
i'll voting for town officers, but they
seem to come within the provisions of
the law in voting for judges.
Another question arises as to the man.
ner of voting for school officers. If
their names are to be on the official
ballot, what will there be to prevent
| woman who presents herself to vote for
school officers from voting for every
officer to be chosen? True, they will
have no legal right to do so, but they
can be depended upon, in many cases,
to vote for everything on the ticket
because they will have an opportunity
to do SO, and they will be sure to inn
prove it. and they can ask the question
with impunity, "What are you going to
do about it?"
The form Of polling booths, size of
ballot boxes, envelopes for preserving
election ballots, the printing of cards
of instruction and the printing and dis
candidates. the calling out of candidates
not nominated by political conven-
tions, the publication of information
to voters" and penalties, ETC., all call
for immediate and careful considera-
ton.
These are but few of the questions
that present themselves for the consid-
Grafton of those charged with the con-
duct of elections.
It will require some instructions be-
will understand the new law, and they
should proceed at once to inform them
selves of their coming duties.