The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-10-25

pTepHTatIOu Oh bholE tlChStbI aAH tASAV
fore stay away from the polls.
Don't be afraid to roe.
While the Law is crude, cumbersome
and contradictive in some parts, yet so
far as it refers to the act Of voting it is
simple enough.
This is the way to do it:
You walk into the election room,
which, besides a reception" room, will
be divided into not less than two
nor more than five booths, or compart-
ments; or, in plain words, stalls. In
each, stall will be provided pens and ink
and plotting paper, and q table or board
to write on.
Having entered the election room,
you will give your name and residence
to ons of the poll clerks, who will an.
nounce it in cloud and distinct tone Of
voice. (sec. 56,)
One of the poll clerks will then give
you one ballot, and you will Immediate
ly retire alone to one Of the booths Tor
stalls and there prepare your ticket.
The ballot sheet handed you will con-
tain all the tickets nominated. In the
most OF the counties there will be four
tickets on the ballot sheet: First, 1.-THE
Democratic ticket" on the left-hand
side; next, the prohibition ticket"
next, the peoples party ticket" and
next to it, or on the extreme right-hand
side, "the Republican ticket" Each
ticket will be in q separate column.
Now, if you wish to vote the straight
Republican ticket, you will erase all
the other tickets on the sheet by drawing
aline, With pen and ink mot with pencil,
from the top to the bottom OF them, or
through the heading Of them.
Now you have before you just one
ticket (for you have erased all the
others.) If you wish to scratch" that
ticket; that is, il you want to vote for
some person whose name is not on that
ticket, you will simply draw a line v e
the printed name and write under it
the name OF the person you wish to
vote for for that office, and this you
must do with pm and ink, and not with
pencil. Don't use a pencil o n your ticket
at all, but use a pen.
Now, having got your ticket fixed
up" to suit you, don't forget to use a
piece OF blotting paper on it, for il the
ink is not dry on your ticket when you
fold it you may lose your vote, as the
ink may cause a line to appear on the
ticket you wish to vote, and then none
will be counted.
Having "blotted" your ticket, you are
now ready to fold it. On the back and
near the centre OF the sheet will be
prinLd the words POLL Clerks" Right
underneath these words will be writen
the namesof the poll clerks at your vot-
ingplace. You must fold the ballot-sheet
so that the face OF it can not be seen and
SO that the poll clerks names can be seen.
Having SO folded it, you will announce
your name, give your ballot to n OF
tho commissioners OF election, who will
proclaim your name in "a loud and dis
tinct tone" and hand your ballot to n
OF the other commissioners, who will
deposit it in the ballot-box, and you
will then leave the election and
retire beyond the sixty-foot limit.
But you do not hare to fold your ballot
You have the right to vote an open
ballot" II you wish go to vote, you
will hand your ballot without folding
it to the commissioner Of election. If
you wish to vote a Secret ballot" Of
course you must fold it, as stated
above.
SOME OTHER POINTS.
If you cannot read nor write. or by
reason of physical disability cannot
prepare your ballot, you a declare
your choice of candidates or tickets to
the poll clerks, who will, in your pres
ence and in the presence of each other,
prepare your ticket Just as you wish it,
you telling them which ticket or what
candidates you desire to vote for. And
after they have prepared it they must
read it over TO you, il you so request.
In short, il you want any information
about how to prepare, or assistance in
preparing your ballot, you should call
to your aid the two poll clerks. 1t is a
p~enitentiary offense Of not less than
two years confinement for any clerk to
deceive a voter or prepare his ballot in
other way than that requested.
If you do not draw a line or lines
through all the tickets except one, in the
way above indicated, your ballot will
not be counted, because II there is
more than n with no line drawn
through, it would be impossible to tell
which n you intended to vote.
You can vote for any person you
please, for any Office, whether he is the
nominee OF any party or not. But, re-
member, you must have all the names
you vote for on one tickSL They can not
be scattered among all the tickets. In
other words, The ndmcs of all The persons
you irish 10 Uote for must be printed or tCrit-
ten IN one column.
You cannot remain in a booth Tor
stall) longer than fire minutes. But II
person must occupy a booth at q time.
No person, or voter offering to vote,
shall hold any conversation or commun-
ication with any other person than the
clerks or commissioners Of election
while in the election ROOM. This, OF
course. cannot apply to challengers,
when a challenge is had, SO as to Affect
the right to challenge.
No officer OF elections shall do any
electioneering on election day, nor shall
any other person within any polling
place or within sixty feet thereof.
You cannot get a legal ballot from
any lGtpftA source until the day Of the
election; and then the only lawful bal
lot you can get will be handed you by
one OF the poll clerks when you go in to
vote. You must either vote that ballot
or return it.
When you get your ballot you must
prepare it, or have the poll clerks pre-
pare it for you, and vote it then and
there, without going away from the
polls; you will notb be permitted to carry
q single ballot away. ii you spoil a
ballot in preparing it the clerks will