The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-03-21
Offered to the Australian Ballot
Law.
THE NEW PROVISIONS NOW BE-
FORE THE LEGISLATURE.
A Bride Put Upon Ballot Clerks-The
Count Must Be Witnessed by Members
of Both Parties-The Ballots To Be
Preserved.
[Speclal to the Press.l

Preserved.
Especial to the PreSs.]
AUGUSTA. March 29.-The amendments
to the Australian ballot law in printed
form are now before the members OF the
legislatu e. BY the bill certificates of
nomination must be filed at least 3U in
stead of 20 days before election with the
Secretary of State. For cases Of the
death or withdrawal of candidates after
the ballots are printed, this new provi-
sion is made:
'Slips containing the new nomination
shall be printed under the direction OF
the Secretary of State, which may be
pasted in proper place upon the ballots
and thereafter shall become part and
parcel Of said ballots as if originally
printed thereon
The new method of printing the ballots
is found in the following provision
amendatory to section 10:
"Above each group [of candidates ON
the ballot shall be placed the name of
the politicrl party by which the candi-
dates comprising such group were placed
in nomination, or by the political designa-
ton as described in the certificate OF
nomination, or nomination papers en-
closed in square. If only one person
be nominated by any party or under any
political designation, his name with the
Office for which ne is a candidate shall
be printed by itself under the name OF
such party or political designation. A
blank space shall be left after the names
of the candidates for each different office
in which the voter may insert the name
of any person, for whom he desires to
vote as candidate for such Office. When
ever the approval of a constitutional
amendment or other question is sub
mitted to the vote Of the people, such
question shall be printed upon the ballot
after the list of candidates. The ballots
shall be so printed as to leave blank
space, above such amendment or ques-
ton so as to give to each voter clear OPP
portunity to designate by cross mark
Ky therein, his answers to the ques-
tions'
This does away with all side marks,
the method of marking the ballots be-
ing defined in section "a which is amend
ed to read, in part, as follows.
'tSect "a. On receipt of his ballot the
voter shall forthwith, and without leay-
ing the inclosed space, retire alone to
ments so provided and shall prepare his
ballot by marking in the appropriate
margin or place, cross (X) as follows:
He may place such mark within the
square enclosing the name of the party
group or ticket, in which case he shall
| be deemed to have voted for all the per-
sons named in the group under such
party or designation.
sAnd if the voter shall desire to vote
| for any person or persons, whose name
| or names are not printed as candidates
on the party group or ticket, he may
erase any name Or names which are
printed on the group or party ticket, and
| under the name or names so erased ne
may fill in the name or names OF the
candidates of his choice.
'sOr if the voter does not desire to vote
| for person or persons whose name or
| names are printed upon the party group
| OF ticket, he may erase such name or
names with the effect that the ballot
shall not be counted for the candidate
OF candidates whose names are SO
| erased"
The method of appointing election
| clerks is amended to read as follows:
'sThe municipal officers of cities, towns
and plantations voting in accordance
with the provisions of this act, shall BIZ
annually in the month of May appoint
clerks for each polling places and such
municipal officers shall appoint as such
clerks such persons as shall be recon-
mended for such appointment by the sew
eral political party committees OF the
several cities, towns or plan ations, rep
resenting the two political parties which,
at the gubernatorial election next pre-
ceding such appointment, cast the great
est number of votes"
This section, No. "a. is further amend
ed to provide that the election clerks
..Shall be present and witness the count
! officers of all votes cast in such meet
ings.' This is the provision intended to
put stop to performances such as that
which has made Warden Harper of Port
land famous.
The other important changes in the
law made by the bill are as follows:
ssStrike out section 26 and substitute
therefor the following:
| ssSection 26. Any voter who shall de-
clare to the presiding election officer or
| officers that he cannot mark his ballot
by reason of physical disability, or
from inability to read the same, shall
receive the assistance in the marking OF
| his ballot, of two of the election clerks;
| such clerks shall not both represent one
and the same political party. and they
snail certify on the outside Of such bal
lot that the same was marked by them,
or by the voter with their assistance,
and thereafter shall give no information
concerning the same. The presiding
election officer OF officers may require
every voter, who applies for such assis-
lance, to make oath to his ability, to
| mark his ballot. before such clerks shall
be directed to assist as aforesaid, and
such officer OF officers are hereby quail
fed to administer such oath, and nc
clerk shall assist or offer to assist any
voter in marking his ballot until directed
so to do by the presiding election officer
or officer
add the following section after sec
ton so.
Section SO. Any election or ballot
clerk who shall assist any voter, or Offer
to assist any voter, before such clerk
shall have been directed by the presid
ing officer or officers to SO assist such
| 10 1,vya Hnn of no