The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1891-07-01
THE NEW BALLOT LAW
The Amended Baker
Plan.
FULL TEXT OF THE BILL JUST
MADE LAW.
Many Radical Changes For
the Voter to Study
Up On.

The governor has signed the meas
ure known as the "Bakcr ballot reform
bill" The bill which has become a
law is the product of a conference com
mittce of the senate and house which
consisted of j. = P.S.Gobin, Henry Green
and John N. Neeb on the part of the
senate, and of Jesse w. Baker, John H.
Fow and Frank NJ. Ritter on the part
of the house.
Following is the full text of the
bill:
SECTION 1. BE it enacted by the sem
ate and house of Representatives of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in gen
eral assembly met, and it is hereby en-
acted by the authority of the same,
that from and after March 1, 1892, all
ballots cast in elections for public Of
iicers within this Commonwealth shall
be printed and distributed at public
expense as hereinafter provided. The
printing of the ballots and of the cards
of instruction for the elections in each
county, aid the delivery of the same to
the election officers, as hereinafter pro-
vided, and all other expenses incurred
under the provisions of this act shall
be county charge unless herein 9TH
crwisc provided, the payment of which
shall be provided for in the same man
ner as the payment of other election ex-
penses. 1t shall be the duty of the Sec
rotary of the Commonwealth to prepare
forms for all the blanks made necessary
or advisable by this act, and to fur
nish copies of the same to the county
commissioners Of each county, who
shall procure further copies of the
same at the cost of the county and
furnish them to the election officers or
any other persons by whom they are to
be used in such quantities as may be
necessary to carry out the provisions
of this act.
THE NOMINATIONS.
Section ,. Any convention of dele
gates or primary meeting of electors, or
caucus held under the rules of a polit-
ical party, or any board authorized to
certify nominations representing a po-
litical party, which at the election
next preceding polled at least per
centum of the largest entire vote for
any office cast in the State, or in the
electoral district or division thereof
for which such primary meeting, eau
Gus. convention or board desires to
make or certify nominations, may NOM
mate one candidate for each office
which is to be filled in the State, or in
the said district or division at the
next ensuing election, by causing u
certificate of nomination to be drawn
up and filed as hereinafter provided,
provided that any political party
which polled three per centum of the
entire vote in the State at the election
next preceding at which State officer
was voted for msy make and certify
nominations according to the provis-
Ions of this section for any electoral di-
vision or district of the State, not
withstanding that such political party
may have polled less than per cen
tum of the entire vote at the last pre-
ceding election in said electoral dis
trict or division. Every such certif-
cate of nomination shall be signed by
the presiding officer and the secretary
or secretaries of the convention or pri-
mary meeting or caucus or board, who
shall aGd thereto their places of resi-
dence, and shall be sworn or affirmed
to. by them before an officer qualified
to administer oaths to be true to the
best of their knowledge and belief, and
certificate of the oath shall be annex
ed to the certificate of nomination.
ANOTHER PLAN OF NOMINATION.
Section 3. Nominations of candi-
dates for any public Office may also be
made by nomination papers signed by
qualified electors of the State, or OF
the electoral district or division there
of for which the nomination is made,
and filed in the proper office as pro-
vided in section five of this act
Where the nomination is for Ony office
to be filed by the voters of the State at
large the number of qualified electors
of the State signing such nomination
paper shall be at least one-half of per
centum of the largest vote for any of
fcer elected in the State at the last
preceding election at which a State
officer WAS voted for. In the case of all
other nominations, the number of quail
fled electors of the elactoral district
or division signing such nomination
papers shall be at least per cent cen
tum of the largest entire vote for any
officer elected at the last preceding
election in the said electoral district
or division for which said nomina-