The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1892-03-18
NEW YORK BUREAU OF ELECTIONS.

NEW ?Cnk BURGHU Or ElEC IONS.
The Department That Has n Good Deal
to Attend to About Election Time.
General Theodore f. ~Rodenbough,
chief of the bureau of elections at po-
lice headquarters. may be said to run
it single handed. and with his left hand
at that He left his right arm with
army surgeons in September. 1864, at
Winchester. The bureau was estab-
Iished in the police department in 1872,
D. B. Hasbroucs was the first chief,
John j.. Oi'Tien the second and he
was succeeded by the present incu,u.
bent. While the work of the bureau
has increased. it's clerical force yet con
sists of five patrolmen detailed to cler-
ical duty at patrolmen's salaries. Po-
liceman Henry Hildenbrand, of the
central office squad, supplies the right
hand that the amiable chief lacks.
The bureau takes charge of the ma.
chinery and personnel of elections,
from the hiring of district quarters to
the swearing in of the election officers.
Dreary routine characterizes the labors
of the chief and the clerks from Janu.
airy to August, and it is Mechanically
active the rest of the year. When these
eruptive periods are on, no one in the
bureau has a sinecure.
Among the labors and duties of the
bureau are: TO provide all the station.
cry for the election officers-inspectors,
poll clerks and ballot clerks; to give
them the special and ordinary instruc-
tons to enable them to steer clear OF
trouble and to perform their duties sat
isfactorily; to prepare the lists of cleo
ton officers for the action of the board
of police, examining into the personal
fitness and character of each individ-
ual; to provide certificates for those
who are selected and to qualify
them or swear them into office; to
ascertain on days of registry and
election If all the election officers are
present at each polling or registration
place, and to see that all vacancies are
promptly filled; to receipt for all re,
ports, registers and returns filed after
the registration is completed; to pre-.
pare leases for polling places; to see,
after election, that all registers and re.
turns have been filed up in accordance
with the law; to summon those who
have erred to correct their mistakes; to
stamp the certificates of such election
officers which have done their duty and
are therefore exempt from jury duty;
to record the deaths of all male persons
owe t~wenty-one; to keep a record Of
convictions for felony. and to aid in
tabulating the election returns Oh cleo.
ton night. The last named employ
nent is more of a courtesy to the de
sire of the public and the police com
missioners to know the results than a
duty. No count thus made has any
legal or official weight or value.
The bureau has also to be prepared
to make diagrams of the city for elec
ton purposes, and to scrutinize the
registry from each house SO as to be
prepared to furnish information for re
districting in order to keep the voters in
each election district down to the limit
prescribed by law. The pay rolls OF
the election officers have to be prepared
Tor the comptroller.
An idea of what the bureau has to
do when it is busy with live election
work may be had from the statistics of its
operation under the ballot reform law.
In 1890 there were 1856 election off
GERS who did duty, and about 500 per
sons chosen to such offices resigned.
AS each officer is named ten times on
reports and in other ways, some so, 600
names were written on this account
alone.
There were Is, 00O, 600 ballots pre-
pared, corrected, received, checked off,
done up into 947 packages and dis
tributed, and at least 60, 900 packages
Of stationery, ink, pens, mucilage,
books and forms. Oaths were admin
istered to more than 5000 election of.
ticers, "a per cent. of whom served, and
the characters and qualifications Of
1921 persons were inquired into and
reported on New York Times.