Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-01-02
THE SPRING ELECTION.
METHOD OF CONDUCTING 1T UNDER
THE NEW BALLOT LAW.

This paper has from time to time
gwen brief interpretations of the new
ballot law, but the information in the
following article, however, is more COM
plete, and will be found very useful tc
those whose duty it will be to put the
new ballot law into operation for the
spring or February election and to all
voters. The facts are cleaned from a
very careful reading of everything in
the law that pertains to borough and
township elections.
The language of the law, it seems,
contempates nominations in each elec-
ton district by the two dominant parties
at primary meetings or caucuses. Ger
tlhcates of such nominations must be
made out and signed by the presiding
officer and the secretary or secretaries
of such primary meeting or caucus, and
shall be sworn or affirmed to by them
before an officer qualified to administer
oaths, to be true to the best of their
knowledge and belief.
Nominations may also be made by
what is termed nomination papers. !"
1t often transpires that no party nom
nations are made for the spring election,
but Citizens tickets are voted. Such
tickets will come under the head of
nomination papers," and are regulated
as follows in section 81
Nominations of candidates for any
public office may also be made by nom
nation papers, signed by qualified cleo
tors of the election district for
which the nominations are made n.
The slgners shall number at least three
per centum of the largest entire vote for
any officer elected at the last preceding
election in the election district for
which SAID nomination papers are de-
signed to be made. Each sianer
shall add to his signature his place of
residence and occupation, and the sigma
lures must be vouched for by the affi-
davits of at least five of the signers."
Independent candidates are not de-
barred, but to have their names printed
on the ballot they must come under the
same regulation that governs nomina-
ton papers. In other words, the inde-
pendent candidate must procure signers
to his nomination Certificates of NOM
ination and of nomination papers for
township and borough officers shall be
filed with the auditors of the respective
townships or boroughs for which they
are made.
Certificates of nomination shall be filed
ten days before the day of election and
certificates of nomination papers shall be
filed seven days before the day OF cleo
ton. All such certificates shall be open
to public inspection and shall be pre-
served in the office in which they are
filed for period of at least two years.
Objections to certificates or to papers,
as to conformity or nonconformity to
law, shall be heard and determined by
the auditors or by majority of them.
such objections must be in writing and
filed with the auditors within three days
after the last day for the filing of such
certificates and papers.
Objections to the validity of certificates
and p pers other than the objections as
to form shall be filed with the prothono-
tary, and the court, or any judge thereof,
shall Immediately upon notification pro-
ceed to hear such objections.
Any person whose name has been
presented as a candidate may cause
his name to be withdrawn from nom-
nation by request in writing, and
committee appointed by the primary
meeting or caucus making the original
nomination shall have the power to
place on the ticket substitute for the
name withdrawn, the manner of so do
governed the original.
In case of substitute nomination
paper, not filed by committee but
signed by citizens, then it shall only
be necessary that two-thirds of the
signers of the substituted nomination
shall have been signers of the original
paper.
In case substitute nomination, is
transmitted to the township or borough
auditors after the ballots have been
printed the said auditors shall prepare
and distribute with the ballots suitable
slips of paper (stickers) bearing the
title of the office, which shall be Of
fered to each voter with the regular
ballot and may be affixed thereto.
The county commissioners and audi
tors shall ascertain the Offices to be fill
ed and shall be responsible for the
accurate printing of the ballots, and for
the safe keeping of the same while in
their possession or that of their subor-
dinates or agents.
The auditors shall cause the ballots
to be printed and to be distributed to
the proper election board, and they
shall certify the cost of printing and the
cost of distribution to the county COM
missioners for payment as part of the
county elect on expense.
The form of the ballot for township
or borough elections is in every re-
spect similar to the form used at the
last November election, excepting that
the ballot will begin with the names
belonging of the political party which
poled the highest number of votes at
the last preceding election.
As to size, section 10 provides that
all the ballots used at the same voting
place at any election shall be alike and
be at least six inches long and four
inches wide. They shall be printed
with the same kind or kinds of type.
which shall not be smaller than the
size known as BREWER, on white paper,
without any impression or mark to dis
tnguish one from another.
Each ballot shall be attached to stub
and all the ballots for the same voting
place shall be bound together in conven-
lent numbers in books in sucha manner
that each ballot may be detached and
removed separately.