St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-11-17
The Australian Election Law
Operates as a Great Vote
Reducer.
Minnesota's Total Will Be
Very Little Above That
Of 1888.
Counting the Ballots a Task
Calculated to Try Mems
Souls.
Why Prof. Carlson and Mayor
Smith Ran SO Far
Ahead.

Now that the judges and canvassing
boards have about completed the le-
turns of the election of ten days ago.
the people are commencing to hear
something about the good and bad feat
ureS of the new ballot law. Those I'M
fortunate enough to be appointed Judges
and clerks of election are thoroughly
disguised with the law; and, unless it
is changed. will not be candidates for
the same positions again. There is no
doubt whatever that the numbering and
counting of every ballot separately
greatly increased the work or the
judges. Under the old system the
work of counting was greatly facilitated
and FASTENED by sorting out ''straights."
Suppose, for example, 400 votes were
pOlied in a precinct. of which 100 were
straight Democratic and 100 straight
Republican. The judges formerly went
through the entire number, laying aside
the Republican and Democratic ballots,
Of course carefully examining each,
and when all had been sorted each
Democratic or Republican candidate
would be credited with the number of
votes given him Oh the straight tickets.
Under the new law the name of each
candidate had to be read, the ticket
numbered and entered on a tally sheet
that many judges had trouble in de-
ciphering. The counting under those
conditions was an arduOuS task, as we'll
as wearing one on mind and body,
which probably accounts for the fol-
lowing challenge which appeared in
Duluth paper:
Challenge.
To Aid. Martin Sorenson:
AS Aid. SOrenson made the assertion in
the city council last night that school boy
could count 430 ballots, Australian system.
in four hours, | do hereby challenge the
said alderman to a count of 430 ballots for
$50, to be deposited with any responsible
party. Ballots to be read by any one the
alderm an wishes. Ballots for challenger to
be read by any one he wishes. Challenge
open ten days. T. Boone, Challenger.
Clerk First Precinct, Fifth Ward, Duluth.
Aid. Sorenson, up TO the present time,
has not accepted this challenge, nor
will he unless he feels desire to con-
tribute $50 to the doughty Clerk of the
First precinct of the Fifth ward OF the
Zenith City.
The length of the tickets and the
great number of candidates greatly con-
fused the voters. and when the com
plete returps are in the total vote cast
for three-fourths Of the candidates for
state Offices will be surprise to all. In
the first place, the fear that the mark
ing of the ballot would be too much for
them kept many voters from the polls,
and mas probably forced the total vote
down to very little, if any, more than
263. 600, the figures of four years ago.
And these figures will be reached
only by the addition of the number of
hV OF nj
the electoral candidates OF all of the
parties. Strange as it may seem, there
were many thousands of voters in MIN
nesota who went to the polls on elec.
ton day and marked only one electOr
instead of nine on the ticket they voted,
evidently being under the impression
that they mad voted for their party's
candidate by making this one cross.
This failure to grasp the intricacies of
the Australian law is very likely to re-
suit in the election of eight Republic
ans and one Democrat to represent Min
neSota in the electoral college.
If Hon. r. A. Smith is not elected it
will take the official count and the re-
turns from every one of the counties to
pr0ve that he is not. In almost every
precinct in the state he has run from
five to twenty votes ahead of the bal
dilC6 vi DIS IiChcl, WllllS TIC indJOllIy
of the Republican candidates have run
that far behind Prof. Carlson. The in
f1uence IN the way of decreasing the
number of votes polled is shown by the
following from the MankatO Review:
Reduces the Vote.
The Australian system works a great
reduction in the popular vote.
In 1888 Blue Earth polled 5,457 votes
for president; in 1890. $3.50 for govern
or. and last week 1886. showing a gain
of 139 in four years, and only 10 oyer
the vote of two years ago.
The city vote shows a still greater
falling Off While there has been
very decided increase IN our population
there has been falling off in the pop
pular vote of 326 in the past year, as is
shown by the following table:
1892 1890 1888
First 239 254 2sS
Second ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 316 32S 37G