The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-03-25
THE NEW LAW.
Provisions of the Ballot Act which
Passed Yesterday.
Its Application to All the cltIes and
Towns.
The Bill Plain and Its Provisions
Simple.

The Bill Plain and Its Provisions
simple.
An act to provide for printing and distrib'
uting ballots at the public expense and to
regulate voting for state and city elections.
Be it enacted bv the Senate and House Of
Representatives In Legislature assembled,
as follows:
PRINTING OF BALLOTS.
Sect. l. All ballots cast In elections for
national, state. district and county officers In
cities, towns and plantations after the first
day OF September In the year eighteen hun
dred and ninety-two and all ballots cast in
municipal elections In cities after that date,
shall be printed and distributed at public ex-
| pense, as hereinafter provided: The print
| ing of the ballots and cards Of instructions TO
| voters shall In municipal elections In cities
be paid for by the several cities
| printing of the ballots and cards Of instrue-
| ton, and the delivery OF them to the several
cities and towns, shall be paid for by the
state. The distribution Of the ballots to the
| voters shall be paid for by the cities, towns
| and plantations respectively.
rhe term Estate election" as used In this
act, shall apply to any election held for the
| choice Of national, state, district or county
officer, whether for full term or for the I'll |.
ing of a vacancy, and the term state officer"
1 shall apply to any person to be chosen by
| the qualified voters at such an election. The
term '.city election" shall apply to any mu-
| term ''clty officer" shall apply to any person
| to be chosen by the qualified voters at such
| an election.
NOMINATIONS OF CANDIDATES.
Sect. 2. ANY convention Of delegates, and
| any caucus or meeting Of qualified voters, as
hereinafter defined, and individual voters to
| the number and In the manner hereinafter
| specified, may nominate candidates for pub
| lie office,Iwhose names shall beiplaced upon
| the ballots to be furnished as herein proyld
| ed.
Sect 3. Any convention of delegates rep
| resenting political party which, at the CUB
| ernat0rial election next preceding, polled at
least one per cent OF the entire vote cast In
the state for governor, or In the electoral dis
| trict or division thereof for which the noml-
nation Is made, and any caucus held by such
political party in any such electoral dis
trict or division, may for the state, or for the
district or division for which the convention
or caucus Is held, as the case may be, by
causing certificate OF nomination TO be duly
filed, make one such nomination for each Of
fee therein to be filed at the election. Every
such certificate Of nomination shall state
such facts as may be required as above for
its acceptance, and as are required in section
hye OF this act; shall be signed BY the presid-
| tion or caucus and shall be sworn by the
| party signing to be true, and a certificate Of
| the oath shall be annexed to or made on the
| certificate Of nomination.
NoSnNATIoN PAPERS.
Sect. 4. Nominations Of candidates for
| any offices to be filled by the voters Of the
| state at large may be made by nomination
| papers signed In the aggregate for each can
| didate by not less than one thousand quail
| fed voters Of the state. Nominations of can
| didates for electoral districts or divisions OF
| the state. or for municipal or ward officers,
may be made by nomination papers signed In
| the aggregate for each candidate by qualified
voters of such district or division, not less in
number than one for every one hundred
persons who voted at the next preceding gu
bernat0rial election In such district or diyis-
ion, but In no case less that twenty-five. In
the case OF first election to- be held In a
plantation, town or ward newly established,
the number Of twenty five shall be sufficient
be voted for only in such plantation, town or
| ward and In the case of first election In a
| district or division newly established. other
| than plantation, town or ward, the number
| of twenty-five shall be sufficient. Each
voter signing a nomination paper shall make
| his isignature in person, and add to
1t his place OF residence. and each voter may
subscribe to one nomination for
each Office to be filed. and no more. The
nomination papers shall before being filed
be respectively submitted to the clerks OF
the cities, towns or plantations In which the
signers purport to be qualified voters, and
each clerk to whom the same Is submitted
shall forthwith certify thereon what num-
| Der of the signatures are names of qualified
/ voters both In the city, town or plantation
for which he Is clerk and In the district or
| division for which the nomination Is made !;
one OF the signers to each such separate
paper shall swear to the truth thereof. and
the certificate Of such oath shall be annexed
to or made upon the nomination papers.
SPECIFICATIONS IN NOMINATION PAPERS.
Sect. 5. All certificates of nomination and
nomination papers shall, besides containing
the names Of candidates, specify as to each
i ~ the Office for which he Is nominated; (2)
tue party or political principle which he re-
presents. expressed In not more than three
| words ;(9his place of residence. In the case Of
electors Of president and vice president Of
the United States, the names OF the candi.
| dates for president and vice president may
be added 10 the party or political appella-
tion.
FILING OF NOMINATION PAPERS.
Sect. 6. Certificates of nomination and
| nomination papers for the nomination OF
candidates for state or county Offices repre-
| sentatiyes to the legislature shall be filed
with the Secretary OF State at least twenty
days. exclusive Of Sundays. previous to the
| day Of the election for which the candidates
| are nominated. Such certificates and papers
for the nomination Of candidates for the off,
Il
| shall be filed with the city clerks Of the re-
| spective cities at least seven days, exclusive
| OF Sundays, previous to the day of such elec-
tlon. With nomination papers shall also be
filed the consent in writing Of the person
Sect. Z. The certificates OF nomination
| and nomination papers being filed, and be-
| Ing In apparent conformity with the pro-
visions OF this act, shall be deemed to be val
| Id ard II not in apparent conformity, they
may be seasona5ly amended under oath.
DEATH OR WITHDRAWAL OF CANDIDATES.
Sect s. In case candidate who has been
| duly nominated under the provisions OF this
act shall die before the day Of election, or
shall withdraw In writing, the vacancy may
| be supplied by the political party or other
the manner herein provided for such n0min
alton; or, If the time Is insufficient therefor
then the vacancy may be supplied, IL tht
nomination was made by convention Of
caucus, in such manner as the convention O.
caucus has previously provided for the pur
pose, or. In case OF no such previous provi
sion. then by regularly elected general o
| executive committee, representing the poll
tical party or persons holding such cOnven
tion or caucus. The certificates Of nomin
state, In addition to the other facts re
quired by this act, the name Of tn
original nominee, the facts causin
the vancancy, and the meas
| uAoo tdkou III dCCUIuduC6 WITH the ABOVE IT
quirements for filling the vacancy; said cel
ttdcate shall be accompanied by the witt
drawal. II any, and shall be signed an
sworn to by the presiding officer or secretar
OF the convention or caucus. or by the ch ali
man or secretary of the duly authorize
committee, as the case may be. The nam
so supplied for the vacancy shall, IL the ba
lots have not been printed for the office a
ready, be placed on the ballots, instead 0
the original nomination; or, II the ballot
have been printed. new ballots containin
the new nomination shall, whenever pract
cable, be furnished.
Sect. 0. All certificates of nomInatio
and nomination papers, when filed, sha
| forthwith be opened aud kept open und1
proper regulations to public inspection. an
the Secretary Of State and the several cii
clerks shall preserve the same In their r
spectiye offices not less than one year.
FORM OF THE BALLOT.
Sect: 10 Every general ballot, or ballot Il
tended Tor the use Of all voters, which shall /
printed In accordance with the provisions
THIS act, shall contain the names and res
dences OF all candidates whose nomination
, Tor any office specified in the ballot haY
been duly made and not Withdrawn In a.
: cordance herewith, and the office for whle
: they have been severally nominated an
| shall contain no other names except tnat