The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-26
THE BALLOT LAW.
Amendments to Be Offered
at Sacramento.
The Fraudulent Signers of Petitions
for a Place on the Ticket to Be
Guilty of Il Felony.

To-day Charles J. Swift. P. G. Galpin
and Max Pepper leave for Sacramento as
committee representing the general commit
tee from the various political organizations,
which for some time has been meeting at tile
Grand Hotel discussing the proposed amend
ments 10 the Australian ballot law.
After the elect committees represent
ing the n-Partisan. Republican, Demo-
cratic. Populist and Prohibition parties met
together and discussed various alterations
and amendments which it was deemed adj
visable to Incorporate ia the law without in
any way attacking its principle and integ-
rity.
The amendments which the committee
viii offer to the Legislature. stripped of all
their legal verbIage, are as follows:
The first amendment is one TO conform to
the decision of the Supreme Court which
decided that it was unconstitutional to give
any one party the right 10 heading as
against other parties.
The second amendment proposed is one
amending section 1894 Of the ballot law.
which provides for tie publication Of the
sample ballot IN the daily newspapers. 1t
was stated at one Of the meetings that the
publications IN the newspapers al the last
election cost $4,000
1 lie amen ulri4t u iAto III AilN iiiaii4iE
OF he sample ballot in an envelope adj
dressed % lhe voter, with bis postuillce sd-
dress as il appears on tie register. Accord
ing to the amendment the Registrar Is 10
commence mailing the sample ballots at
least Ten DAYS before election Besides this
the Registrar or County Clerk IS required
to send 10 the chairman Of the county COM
mittee Of each organ IZed political party Ia
the county sample ballot 10 insure the
correction ard revision OF all mistakes IN
the names Of candidates.
The amendment. il IS thought. will insure
the sample ballot to each voter and the
cost. it IS calculated. Will not exceed $1,000.
The next is an amendment Of section
1868 IF the ballot act. 1t was under this
section that the lawyers in the Ben Nap
thaly case tried TO have the sealed ballots
broken open in Judge Stacks court. The
Supreme Court up cid The Registrar in re-
fusng 10 produce tue ballots.
The amendment 0f the committee pro-
vides that the secrecy of the ballots shall be
maintained until after the lime limited for
! contest, when If upon prOper showing be-
! fore Judge OF the Superior Court IN a case
| actually pending it becomes necessary to in
/ SUect ballots 10 establish any material fact
| in any civil or criminal proceeding the
! Judge OF said SuDerlOr Court but no other
! tribunal Of less jurisdiction can compel the
Registrar TO produce the ballots. The bal
! lots so opened 10y order OF court are to be
| returned to the custody OF the Registrar
and destroyed when the others are de-
| stroyed under the law.
Section 1855 is also amended. This see
| ton relates 10 getting representation on the
| ticket By petition signed by per cent Of
| the citizens instead Of by convention. The
| law is amended so that whoever makes the
| petition as required by law shall swear that
| there is no name upon the petition that IS
not genuine signature Of the person sign
| ing, 1t also provides a heavy penalty Of
| imprisonment in the State prison, not less
| than five years, for every person who fraud
ulently signs some one else's name TO the
petition.
The committee also concluded, in view Of
! the Inventive genius Of the people, that In
! case a machine should be invented to eXpe-
! dite the counting Of votes il should be used
in elections. Accordingly another amend
ment is offered providing that the County
! Clerks and Boards Of Supervisors of the
| different counties shall be authorized to
adopt such machine, provided 1t aid not
| take away the duty or depending on the
| ballot for the official result nor mutllate the
| ballot in any way.
The members OF the general committee
| state that the difficulties the committee
| found in matters relating TO the registration
Of voters in the city and county OF San
Francisco and IN creating a nOn-partisan
Board of Election Commissioners came
from the fact that they could not legislate
for San Francisco without coming In con-
tact with the provisions Of the State con stl-
tuition on the subject OF special legislation.
They state that the only way these changes
can be made To affect the local conditions In
San Francisco, either pertaining to the cleo
ton or the registration Of voters, is by the
adoption Of a new charter.