The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-10
THE NEW ELECTION BILL.
Some of the Features of Osborne's
Secret Ballot Measure.

Some of the Features of osborne's
Secret Ballot Measure.
The municipal election bill for Savan-
nah, now before the legislature, is at
tracing good deal of attention. 1t pro-
vides for an entirely new registration and
ballot under the Austral ian system.
The city is divided into ten precincts
withnot over 300 voters to each precinct,
at each of which place for
registering and voting, is TO be
provided The managers of the regis
tratlOn and election are 70 be selected
from the different parties or factions no
Two managers at any precinct to be from
the same party where there is more than
one ticket in the field. The caucuses of
the different parties can name suitable
persons for these positions, TO be passed
upon by the board Only persons will be
allowed to register in each precinct who
have been residents of that precinct
for thirty days, and who have paid all
state, county and city taxes for the cur
rent year.
The bill provides for a non-partisan
electoral commission composed of the
Judge OF the superior court, the Judge of
the city court and the ordinary. The
commission, on the last Saturday in Nov
emoer preceding any municipal election,
will appoint the registers for the election.
The registration viii be under their su-
pervision and will be conducted at the
voting precincts between s a. N. and 8
p M, on the first second and third Satur
days IN December The registration books
Will be delivered every night, after the
days reglStrat ton, to the clerk of the city
council, and will be open to inspect on
until the close of the last days registra-
ton, when they will be sealed, and will
remain so until delivered to the managers
on the day of the election to be opened at
the opening of the polls
The tickets are to be printed and fur
nlshed by the city, and each ticket is to
contain the name of every candidate The
voter makes a crOSs-mark opposite the
name of the candidates for whom he
wishes to vote. This will prevent any one
from voting except those who can read.
The man who cannot read will be at loss
how to mark his ticket. No opportunity
is allowed for purchasing votes. as the
voter IS required to be absolutely alone in
the booth while preparing his ballot and
casting his vote, thus making it imposSi-
pie for the purchaser of vote to know
II the goods are delivered"
The law is very similar in its details to
the state election law now in effect in
New York
The tickets will be made up by the
ton, and VIII contain the names of all
candidates that have certified to him as
having been put in nomination by a con
Yentlon, or wno have announced their
candidacy, and have filed petition
signed by not less than POO electors quail
fed to vote, and who request the printing
on the ballot of the name of any indie
pendent candidate.
The electoral commission will appoint
the election n m, h q -
day in January. The arrangements for
the election will be under the direction of
the city marshal, and will be similar to
those where the Australian ballot is now
IN use, 1nsurtng a secret ballot and pre-
venting all purchasing of votes. No per-
son will be permitted within fifty feet of
the voting place, except the officers of the
election and a challenger for each can
dldate and the voters as they deposit
their votes.
The expenses of the election win be
borne by the city and the compensation of
the officers win be fixed by
the city council The bill provides for
the enforcement of the rules governing
the secrecy of the ballot as follows
Whoever shall be guilty of violating
any of the provisions of the act, who
shall mark any ballot voted so that it can
be identified as the ballot voted by a GER
tain person, or who shall have in his pos
session ballot outside of the voting
place, or who shall have in or about the
polling places during an election any
counterfeit Of the official ballots, or mem
oranda, or slips of paper, or dies, or
stamps, or other devices, for the purpose
of assisting in the making of a ballot
save those provided by the city marshal,
or any person, who shall permit any other
person to see for whom he has marked or
checked his ballot, or who shall willfully
observe for whom another has marked or
checked his balotor shall willfully hinder
or delay an electOr in voting, or who
shall have at the voting place any imiGa-
ton of the ballot, 50 marked as to indi-
cate the names the candidates he desires
to vote for, or who shall endeavor in
any manner whatever to influence an
elector in his choice of candidates, or
who shall in any way violate the secrecy
of the ballot or who shall approach within
fifty feet of the polling place other
than when expressly allowed by law to
do so, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor
and upon conviction shall be punished ac-
cording to section 1910 of the code of
Georgia of 1882