Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-03-08
THURSDAY. MARCH &, 1874.
New Duties of Electoral Boards.

New Duties of Electoral Boards.
Reposing full trust in the fidelity ana
Intelligence Of the electoral boards Of the
several cities and counties Of this Com
monwcalth the General Assembly has
confirmed them Ia the discharge OF all
the duties hitherto performed by them'
and havo added thereto even more re-
sponslbe duties.
The Walton ill, which Is the Australian
bailo. auxiliary 10 the Anderson cCor-
mick law provides:
/. That It shan be the duty Of each cleo
toral board 10 have the Official paliot
printed. After July 1st candidates ana
committees will be relieved OF the dnly
Of printing their tickets tballots)' ana tflS
will be done at public expense. the pan
adopted for the ticket is in the mann
that long in urc at the Democratic pri-
maries in Richmond. Names Of all cahu'
dates will be printed upon one ucKe|
and the voter WI erase the names OF
those candidates for whom be does not
wish to vote 1t IS perfectly plain sail.
read. If. for instance. there are 'ifeo
candidates for Congress In TINS dis'flcI
all that the voter has 20 do Is TO erase
the names Of the two persons Tor "hoh
he does not wish TO vote. The name OF
mat person LETT untouched Icy pen or pen
oil IS the person for whom tho electors
(voterD vote will be counted
. The electoral board must designate
ono Of its members to be continuously
urosent I'm the room IN which the-ballots
are prlrlod. There viii b. printed two
ballots for every registered voter in the
city or county.
2. The member of the electoral board
who has supervised the printing OF the
tickets must take possession Of the tickets
and allow no ono else to see or handle
them until he Ia. delivered them into the
possession Of thu electoral board.
4 II will be- the duty Of the electoral
hoard TO adop. a seal, or stamp.
:. The electoral board must hold meet
Ing and receive and count the printed
tickets and afix its seal TO each-one or
the tickets. The imprint Of the seal or
sta-nn Is to be made upon the back oil
each ticket.
G. The electoral board must divide into
suitable packages the tickets necessary
for each voting precinct in the city ana
county.
2 The secretary Of the electoral board
must deliver to the judges or clerks OF
each voting precinct the tickets intended
for that precinct
3. The electoral board must provide
voting booth for each voting precinct.
The law allows the board great discre-
ton in this matter; but we doubt not that
the average cost of these booths-which
are intended to be screens merely-wni
not exceed $3.50. At many precincts IN
deed. there are convenient rooms which
may be used as booths.
Into the booth the voter must so 10
mark his ticket. If the voter can't READ
and write he may call the special con-
stable 10 his help. No voter can remain
in q booth longer than two and a half
minutes.
O The tickets will be furnished voters
by the judges of election.
10. The electoral board must appoint
sneeial constable for each preclnct, whoSe
duties Will DO to preserve the peace anu
enforce the provisions of the Walton act
This constable has also the important
,,utv of assisting illiterate voters to pre-
,,ore their ballots. Crowds will not be
identified to gather within 100 feet OF the
voting place.
II. The electoral board may remove any
special constable at its pleasure. The
Judges Of election (who are the appointees
of the electoral board have like power.
~. The secretary OF the electoral board
is made the custodian Of the boards seal
or stamp.
The expenses which the electoral board
is authorized TO incur in executing the
provisions Of the act must be paid by
the supervisors Of each county out of the
general levy, and by city councils in like
manner.
Thus It will be seen that the General
Assembly has expressed in the most Sig
nally emphatic manner its confidence in
our electoral-board system. Had 1t doubt
ed our boards In the slightest 1t never
would have placed in their hands powers
which are greater by far than were ever
before given to any officers charged with
election duties in Virginia.
IL will soon become the duty Of the
boards to meet and appoint reg 'strars
and judges Of election, but they will not
be called upon 10 act under the walton
bill tin the first of July. The special con-
stables they need not aopoiat till few
days before the election.
There are hints that the Walton III
twill be carried TO the Court OF Appeals.
Very well. The legal gentlemen who
framed 1t had in mind the possibility
that 1t would be taken TO the courts. and
they sought to guard 1t from every legal
objection. Every provision of 1t is anala-
gcus to provisions found In laws OF other
States. And even II 1t should be declared
unconstitutional or invalid from other
cause-,a remote contingency-we shall
have our good old original Anderson-Mc-
Cormick law 10 fall back upon However,
we fancy that no court will declare the
Walton bill unconstitutional. The Austria
Ian ballot is the fayorite OF the day In
politics Our President Is a hearty advo-
cate Of the system, and no doubt he win
be pleased 10 hear that It has been adopt
cd In the Old Dominion. 1t is true that
we have made some changes in the sys-
TEN as originally put forth, but In our
opinion all these changes are improve
ments.
The Dispatch published the Walton bill
A.. IN a. a.. t.a,o 90 f.a.dav hut m