The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-03-11

All who have watched an election board can
wasting votes after any of our general elections,
since the adoption Of the Australian ballot, will
readily believe the assertion that hundreds of
votes have been lost for various state candidates
through the mistakes made by electors in mark
ing their ballots To a man that has studied
the election laws 1t is al simple enough, but to
an elector that is called upon TO cast his vote
once in two years, and who has not given the
matter much thought, the old ballot was de-
cidedly complicated affair.
Many voters thought the provisions OF the
statutes in reference to voting for groups OF
presidential electors where X opposite one
OF the group was a vote for the entire group
referred to political parties, and that by voting
for the first candidate OF their party they there.
BY cast their vote Tor all other nominees of the
party. When such ballot fell into the hands
OF an election board one vote Tor one candidate
was entered upon official returns.
There being no provision OF law that direc-
tons be printed on ballots as to how many nom
inees under each of the several offices designated
were to be voted for by one clector, many of the
county auditors omitted these directions and as
a result scores Of electors made mistakes BY
voting icT too many candidates fer one Office
and others again not voting for the requisite
number. in either case partially losing their
vote. These were the most common OF errors
On nearly all ballots the abb-eviations Rep,
Dem. and Pro. were in general the only distin-
gushing marks between candidates of different
parties, and the order of these continually
changing under each Office named, rendered il
difficult, slow process for an elec:o- to vote
straight ticket, and a very easy matter 10 make
q mistake
There are other objections to an alphabetical
blanket ballot, but the above show why change
was sought. For the new form of ballot the
following advantages are claimed:
AL provisions OF the secret ballot are retained
The grouping of the candidates OF each party
simplifes the ballot and makes it much easier
for ilhterste and inexperienced electors TO pick
provided they can read, without calling on the
election board FOX assistance. To the educated
end experienced IL takes less time than form
e-ly 70 properly mark their ballot.
TO vote the -aght ticket OF any psrty II
merely takes an Y opposite the po,itica, dasig-
nation OF such group.
In departing from straight ticket an Y
agains. the name OF any nominee. under any of
the party groups. signifies the voters choice
l. being possible now TO vote for an entire
ticKe: b. properly placing our Y, there is little
danger Of be mistake formerly made so f-e-
queaJly OF voting merely for the frst candi-
date o. one party and losing the vote on other
candidates
Again, there appearing under the desgna-
lions Of Office in eaeh party group the number
OF candidates Tor whom one elector is entitled to
vote, the chance Of voting for too many or not
the requisite number is greatly reduced, If not.
absolutely removed The new form of ballot
was not conceived in partisaaship or in the
hopa OF partisan gain, but in the sincere hone
that some OF the many errors made in the
use OF the alphabetical ballot may be removed.
d. r. JONES