The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-02-19
COUNCIL MUST ACT
And Establish Election Districts
and Polling Places.

III some action is not taken right away
the city of Roanoke will wake up one of
these mornings and find that it will be
unable to hold spring election under
the new charter.
This action must be taken before
March /. or else tho law which proyides
for holding the cleo ion cannot be com
piled with. The now charter establishes
hve districts, or wards, for the CITY, and
at least ono polling place must be pre-
vided IL each of these districts.
The City Council has the power to es-
tablish these polling places. Then the
law provides the electoral board of anv
county or CITY shall appoint their
judges for each district, prior to March
i, in each year.
Hon. John w. Woods said yesterday:
The Council must take some action be-
fore March J, in order that the electoral
board may know how many registrars
are to be elected, and for what dis
tricts"
Mr.. Woods has been looking into the
law very carefully, and is contidont that
the City Council has no time to lose.
Here is the law which provides for
the appointment of registrars:
Section G7, code Of Virginia: at shall
be the duty of the electoral board
OF each city and county, prior to the
ilrst day Of March, 1889, and every
alternate year thereafter, to appoint Il
registrar for ovely election district of
their respective counties and cities, who
shall be discreet citizen and q resident
OF the district In and for which he is
appointed, who shall hold Office for the
term of two years from the first day of
March following his appointment, and
until his successor is duly appointed and
qualified"
Tho appointment of Judge is provided
for as follows:
Section III, Code CT Virginia: at
shall BIO the duty OF the electoral
board of each city and county, prior to
tho first day Of March in every year, to
appoint three competent citizens, being
qualified voters, who shall constitute the
judges Of election for all elections to be
held in their respective election dis
trlcts for the term Of ono year dating
from their appointment, and who shall
each place OF voting at such election, to
whom shall be administered by the
judges, or either of them, tho same GA tn
as that taken by tho said Judges"
This is all very plain and clearly
defines the duty OF the electoral board,
but the board cannot act until the cleo
ton districts arc established. This
must be done by Council, and horo is
the law which provides for it:
Section III, code of Virginia: Tho
council of city shall establish for
each ward as many election districts
as they may doom necessary, and
voting place in each district (but SO
SO that there shall not be less than one
election district for every ono thousand
voters or fractional part thereof above
1.-Two hnndred), and prescribe and cause
to be published the boundaries OF said
DISTRICTS; and they may alter tho bound
aries OF such election district, and re-
arrange. increase or diminish tho mum.
Der thereof, and change tho voting
places or establish others therein, not
to exceed, however, ono voting place
for each district: Provided That no
change shall be made in any of the
said boundaries or voting places within
thirty days next preceding any general
election"
This law shows that tho Council must
take immediate action. The last regu-
lar meeting night in February has
passed, but there will be an adjourned
meeting tonight. The electoral board
must have some timo to act. Will
Council take notice?