The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-02-26
BALLOT REFORM.
The Joint Committee
Rough-Drafts Its
Bill.
A STATE REGISTRY BOARD,
Registration All Over the
State, with Heavy Pen
alties for Abuse.
BALLOTS BEFORE ELECTION.
sDsciar 10 the Jerssv citv Ne,ps.

Special to the JeTsey CITY Nescs.
TRENTON, Feb. %, 1890. The joint COM
mittee on ballot reform met this after
noon and Senator Werts presented the
bill which he was instructed to draw up
+ The committee reviewed the bill and or
dered that it be printed in accordance
with the resolution of Senator Martin
adopted by the Senate in the afternoon.
The committee will consider the bill to-
morrow.
THE REGISTRY BOARDS.
The bill seems to contemplate general
registry of voters and opens by providing
for the establishment of a State Board of
Registry to consist of Democrat to be
named by the Democratic State Commit
tee or its chairman, a Republican to be
mittee. TIE Governor Is TO be the third
member of the Board. The Board thus
constituted is to appoint the officers OF
reg and election TO serve at the polls
all over the State. The poll boards shall
consist of three members, no more than
two to be of one political party. They
are to be nominated to the State Board by
the County Committee.
The three thus appointed are to select
two poll clerks, each of whom on election
day is to keep a book containing the
names of those who vote. SO that there
WAL 0G uVO pun OOOA6. Ny1C DOOf ID w NC
filed with the County Clerk; the second
is to 60 into the ballot box at the close of
the polls AS an additional precaution,
another member of the Board is to chec k
off on the registry list the. name of eac h
voter as he appears. False registration
shall be punishable with 81 900 fine or five
years imprisonment or both.
Section 15. All the expenses of regis
tration must be betrayed by the State.
Sec. IS. Provides for registration by
affidavit, and makes false swearing per-
jury.
from one precinct to another he may
vote on certificate from the precinct in
which he is registered.
Sec 49, Directs the Courts of Common
Pleas TO revise and correct the registry
on the application of the voter, except
no names shall be erased in the absence
of the person affected thereby, unless 1t
shall appear to the court thai notice has
been left at his house. The court shall
also have the name of any person put on
whose right to vote is established. This
holds good up to election day.
THE STATE TO PRINT.
Sec. 49, That all ballots cast at any
election for any public officer or officers
hereafter held within any municipality
of this State shall be printed at the pub
lie expense, except as herein otherwise
provided. That no ballots shall be cast or
counted, except as provided for by this
act.
Sec. 90. Relates to nominating conven-
tions. Any convention of delegates or
nominating body may nominate candi-
dates, which, at the election for members
of the General Assembly, shall poll at
least five per cent. of the total vote in
State, county or municipality at the next
preceding election.
Sec 81. That all nominations shall be
certified in certificate of nomination to
contain the name, residence and poStoffice
address, the Office for which he Is named,
and in three words the party or principle
which the convention represents. 1t may
also designate some simple figure or de-
vice selected by an officer of the conven-
tion to be placed upon the ballots at the
head of the list of candidates, so that the
party nominations may be recognized and
identified.
Sec. a. Provides for nomination by
petition to be addressed to the Secretary
of State or the clerk of any county, to be
signed by one per cent. OF the entire mum 4
ber Of voters at least, as stated at the last
general election; provided that when the
nomination is to be voted on all over the
State the number of signatures shall not
be less than 800; and when for local
office the signatures shall not represent
less than five per cent of the voters in
district; provided that not more than 200
signatures shall be required for any nomi-
mating petition except for an officer to be
voted for by the State at large. Every
petitioner shall give his place Of residence
and postoffice address. Each signer is
required to make oath that the nomina-
tion is made in good faith.
Sec 23. Prohibits the use of the
National or State coat-0f-arm or flag as a
device Oh any ticket.
Sec "a Fifth the Presidential nominal
fr.c form a, flln af han
Sec. "a. That all certificates for nomina-
tions and nominating petitions to be
voted on by the entire State, or in any
district greater than country, shall be
filed with the Secretary of State forty
days prior to elections. All other nomi-
clerks of the counties twenty days prior
to election, and shall be preserved for one
year Nominees shall write their ac-
ceptance.
PREPARING TO VOTE.
The other sections provide as follows:--
The secretary OF State twenty days be-
fore election shall forward to the clerks
of the several counties the names of all
the candidates with the figure or device
for the head of the ballot, if any. Can
didates nominated by petition without
distinctive political appellations shall be
The nominating List shall be- advertised.
by the county County clerks must pro-
vide printed ballots as hereinafter
directed, on white paper in uniform size.
On the back of the ballots shall be printed
the words official ballots for" and
blank for the district
Two hundred ana fifty ballots made up
in pads shall be sent to each polling
place for every fifty voters, to be dis
tributed by the municipal clerks, and
sent in sealed packages. The municipal
clerk shall on the day preceding the
election deliver the ballots to the election
officers, and take the election clerks re-
ceipt The seal must not be broken until
after the polls are opened.
s. Ballots answering the description of the
official ballots shall be distributed upon
application of voters ten days before cleo
tion day. which may be voted. The voter
may erase name on his ballot, and sub
stitute another for it.
THE VOTING ROOMS.
1t shall be the duties OF the clerks of
municipalities and townships to secure