The Penn's Grove record., 1893-12-29
Proposed New Election Law


One of the subjects which will occupy
considerable attention at the coming
session is a reform of the election laws.
While the present ballot reform act is
good enough as far as it goes it does no!
go far enough.
ara The distribution of official ballots be
fore election day is conceded to BE- Il
vital defect in the present Law. The
SUD stration law also is ysE? GaE- AT.
Jrds ample opportunity ilr !t9Hdr III
5 shown in the wholesale rag arr7 l!aE
padding at Gloucester CJsg and n &.y-
ark and Jersey City.
Tie Essex County EspghEcazl COM
nittee has under consideration i rid.Ga.
change in the ballot reform 4twv mtliril
sill be presented to the Leg i~sasGaga, Al
though it is likely to be modfie,! etn-
E5isrably before it is acted upuH-
Tie proposed law grants to She Roo
partisan county boards Of registry con
scE3 OF The elections, and provides for a
sfalsDksi ballot" on which the names
~" Of all the candidates will be printed i'll
Ii E&rty groups, under a party name. Di-
populsseslF under the party name it is pro.
the. 9 posed to pint a circle, in which the
: voter desiring to vote a party ticket
shall place a cross. Circles would also
be placed opposite the name of each
candidate. and a person desiring to vote
a split ticket would indicate the candi.
lates he voted for by placing a cross OPP
posite their names.
1t Is proposed to vest the election pow
ers now enjoyed by the city and county
clerks in the boards of registry, the four
members of which are to be appointed
{ by the Governor on the recommends.
tion of the chairmen of county commit
tees, through the chairman of the State
committees of the two parties having
the largest number Of votes.
1t is also proposed that these boards
shall have charge Of the printing and
distribution of tickets; of designating
polling places (which are not to be with
In 100 feet of a saloon); have power to
appoint election officers, poll clerks and
"a ClldlicIBclos "ICu ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ny tx
chairman OF the County Committees,
and after persons seeking those offices
shall have made written application
they shall appear before the Board of
Examination as to their qualifications
and fitness.
The boards of registry may remove
any election officer for cause; shall re-
ceive the ballot-boX and returns on the
night of election; make the official can
vass within twenty.four hours after
1.-The election, and shall make IA recount
when demanded by any defeated candi-
date who has deposited in the hands Of
the board a guarantee fund of $3.50, to
cover the cost of II recount in "a ward;
$500 in u city or $3.50 In a county, the
balance, if any, to he returned to the
defeated candidate, if defeated on the
recount, and the whole to be returned
IN case it is shown that he was elected.
TO PREVENT REGISTRY FRAUDS.
Registration is to be in person or upon
affidavit of "a qualified voter of the dis
trict showing that the person he regis,
tiers is either sick or absent from home.
1t is provided that the last day of regis
tration shall be at least thirty days be-
fore election, and that the house,to-
house canvass now made before election
shall be made after the last day of regis
t%ration, for the purpose of confirming
the lists.
Copies of the lists are to he posted
throughout the districts on the day fol-
loving the last day Of the registration,
and filed with the county boards of reg
istry for public examination. No names
are to be added to the lists by the
Courts.