People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-09-30
THE AUSTRALIAN BALLOT.

4AE AUS EAZIAN DALAV4e
AT Conyers Mr. Livingston read
the first resolution supplementary to
the Omaha platform, and declared,
There's your force bill" He then
instanced Arkansas, where he said
$4,000 voters had been disfran-
chised under the election law Of that
State, passed by the Democrats in
pretense that it was the Australian
ballot law, and executed by Demo
Gratis to secure party supremacy.
Nearly half the States Of this
Union have adopted laws incor-
porating some Of the features of the
Australian law, but all differing from
it, and from each other. This has
been done, evidently to make pre-
tense of concession to workingmen,
who demand the right to vote
without espionage, but in fact often
to incorporate new provisions
which will perpetuate the power
Of the dominant party. The law
of Arkansas, which Mr.. Living
ston instances as presenting such
difficulties to the voters as to prevent
more than half of them from casting
their ballots though fully qualified
otherwise, is a pretense and fraud in
the interest of organized Democracy.
The generic name ssAustraian"
has been applied to all laws passed
IN this country which compel isola-
ton of the voter in the preparation
of his ballot. This causes confusion.
The Australian ballot has for its pur-
pose to give the voter an opportu-
nifty to prepare his ballot in secrecy,
and to cast it free of intimidation.
To render greater security, each indi-
vidual ballot shall be exactly like
each other, save, Of course, in the
marks put upon 1t by the voter him
self in preparing it for the ballot
box.
In Australia the ballots are printed
by the government, and furnished
the election managers in studded
books, like receipt or check books.
AS the voter applies for his ballot
his right to vote may be questioned;
once the ballot is issued he cannot
be estopped from voting it. The
voter goes into a booth with his
ticket and prepares it. In case he
cannot read, he'is at liberty to call
in al inspector, who is an officer
sworn to secrecy, and together these
two prepare the ballot for the box.
Should the ballot be mutilated or
mismarked, it can be delivered to
the managers and another issued to
the same voter, that returned being
preserved as a voucher against
the stub. Thus the number Of
ballots issued correspond to the
number of qualified voters who may
vote them. The voter can not vote
after having left the booth, as that
would destroy the guaranty Of Sc
crecy.
In Australia the names Of all the
candidates are printed on one straight
slip, or ticket, and forgery Of this
legal ballot is a crime. The voter
simply makes plain cross opposite
the names Of the candidates he ia
vors, and grasses nothing on the
ticket. The following example will
suffice to illustrate this. There are
three candidates for sheriff, with but
one to be elected, and four candi-
dates for representative, with two to
be elected. The legal ballot cast
would appear as follows:
FOR SHERIFF.
Zone to be voted for)
JOHN JAY.
K ROBERT RAY.
CONRAD KAY.
E0R REPRESENTATIVE.
1.-TWO to be voted for.)
JOHN DOE.
K RICHARD ROE.
K SAM JOHNSON.
WILLIAM THOMPSON.
This ballot shows that the voter
prefers Robert Ray for sheriff, and
Roe and Johnson for representatives.
If the voter cannot read, the sworn
inspector marks the names for him.
Voting under this system is easy,
and the count and tallying much