Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1892-04-09
ELECTION LAW.
A New Measure to Govern the Eleo-
tions in Ohio.
In MUM ,ipalities Having Not Less Than
$500 Ibhabitants-COuntry Precincts
to be Exempt from Its Provisions
Marking of Ballots Simplihed.


COLUMBUS, o., April4 l4-Attorney-Gen-
eral Richards, member of the special
committee on elections of the general
assembly has prepared bill embodying
all of the radical changes discussed and
suggestions of his own. Senator j.
Wilbur Nichols, of Belmont county, will
introduce it Monday should the oppor.
tunity offer itself.
In the first place, the new bill, instead
of being general and sweeping in its
provisions and thereby making uncon-
stitutional such parts of it as applied to
the appointment of county boards and
elections in the country precints, strikes
out all the first section of the old Aus
tralian ballot law. In place thereof it
provides that hereafter the gen.
eral November election for public Off
GERS in this state, and the annual April
election for public officers in all munich
palities which at the last Federal census
had population of not less than $500
and are divided into wards, and the SUBJ
mission of all questions to be voted at
the general November election and in
such municipalities at the annual April
election shall be conducted according to
the provisions of this act and existing
laws not inconsistent Herewith, and all
other elections shall be exempt from
the operations of the special provisions
of this act, but shall be conducted as re-
quired by law"
This exempts from the operation OF
the new election law all country pre-
cincts and all villages and towns having
less than $500 which are not divided
into wards. At the voting precincts in
all such places the old law in force
prior to the passage of the Australian
bill last year remains in force, and cleo
tions will at all times be conducted un-
der its provisions. The remainder Of
the bill is radically changed and re-
vised both in phraseology and in de-
tail from the Kangaroo bill passed last
winter. The intention, however, of the
intention of the old-that this, to
secure, first, secret; second, a fair,
and lastly, free vote. Among some
of the more important changes are the
following: Instead of the small in
verted brass rule used in last years
blanket ballot the present bill pro.
vides for large black lines, to be not
less than one-cighth of an inch in
width, between each party ticket.
1t also provides for a large square sur
rounded by black lines in which is to
be placed the cross mark for a straight
ticket, 1t makes further provision for
the manner of marking so that no pos
sible mistake on the part of the judges
or error on the part of their judgement
may occur in counting the ballots.
As before, each straight ticket is desig-
mated with a cross in the large black
square at the top of the ticket.
serotehad tielIets, he~e~e-, nvet be
marked without the cross at the
top, but with a cross before
each name for which the elector
wishes to vote. with the additional pro-
vision "that he may mske a cross-mark
before the name of the party whose
candidates for the most part he desires
to vote for, and then make cross-mark
before the name of any candidate OF
any otherparty for whom he may desire
to vote But here comes the strongest
and most explicit part of the new law.
1t says: IF the elector desires to vote a
straight ticket, or, in other words, for
each and every candidate of one party,
he shall make cross-mark on
the left of the name of the
party at the head of the ticket in the
blank space defined by heavy lines pro-
vided therefor: or he shall make Il
cross-marli on the left of the name OF
each and every candidate on the ticket
in the blank space provided therefor
provided. however land here is an inn
portant featured, if cross-mark is made
at the left of the name at the head OF
the ticket. and also one or more
cross-marks made before the name OF
names of candidates on the same ticket
the marks before the names of candi
dates shall be treated as surplusage and
ignored, and the ballot shall be counted
for all the candidates on the ticket thus
marked