Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-09
VIRGINIA'S ELECTION LAW.
Provisions of the Walton Act Recentl,
Passed.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star
RICHMOND. Va, March s. 1894
The newspaper charges of election frauds
throughout the state have had the effect
OF giving to the state a new ballot system.
1t is similar in many respects to the aus-
tralian system Of balloting, which is to be
used in conjunction with the present law
known as the Anderson Mccormick law.
1t was one of the last bills passed by the
assembly and strange to say was Champion
ed by the machine men, 1t was known
as the Walton bill and originated in the
senate. Two weeks ago a very few MEM
bers of the house were in favor of it, but
several of the newspapers in the state led
by the Richmond Times. demanded some
alterations in the present system of voting.
While the bill is intended to appease the
reformers. which they accept as the best
under the circumstances, it is claimed by
many that cheating and frauds in election
Is made easier and safer under the new law
The bill provides that the electoral board
OF each county or city shall appoint for
each voting precinct one special constable
who shall be conservator of the peace
and shall be specially charged with en-
forcing the provisions Of the act, having all
powers OF constable. At the request of
any elector in the voting booths who NAV
be physically or educatiOnally unable to
vote this special constable, who can read
and write. may render him assistance by
reading the name and offices in the ballot
and point out to him names that he wishes
to strike out or otherwise aid him IN pre-
pairing his ballot
In case the elector be blind the constable
shall prepare his ballot in accordance with
instructions of the elector. Before entering
upon the duties of his office the special
constable shall take an oath to faithfully
perform the duties thereof, and for corrupt
violation of the same he shall be deemed
guilty of miSdemeanor and be fined not
less than $500 and be imprisoned not less
than one nor more than twelve months in
Jail.
The bill provides with great care and pre-
caution against the making public of the
official ballot. No one outside of the printer
and the electoral board (all of whom is
upon OATH to see the official ballot They
shall be distributed on the morning of the
election and shall be in charge of the
judges of election and no ticket allowed
outside Of the voting booths.
The whole matter now rests with the con-
stable. who, of course under the dominant
party will be democrat, and 1t is optional
with him whether not he will prepare
the ballot for the illiterate for the law says
he may prepare the ballot and does not
say that he shall do so. Now when a negro
comes to vote early, nearly all of whom are
illiterate and asks the constable to prepare
his ballot he can, If he so desires, refuse
to do so, and no one else being allowed by
law to prepare the ballot the negro will be
debarred from voting. The great precau-
tons taken to keep the ballot a secret will
preclude the possibility of the republican
leaders prompting the negroes as to which
name to erase from the ballot prior to the
election. Thus it is claimed that the new
law will make cheating in elections much
easier than II has been in the past.