New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-04
HOW TO VOTE THE BALLOT.
EXPLICIT INSTRUCTIONS AS TO MARKING
IT FOR CANDIDATES.
WARNINGS AND POINTERS" WHICH MAY SAVE
YoyH VOTE FROM BEING CAST ASIDE
BY THE COUNTERS.

Here with is given cut of the official ballot
which will be handed TO voters tomorrow in the
IXth Assembly District of New-York City. OF
course in other parts Of the city. the ballots VIII
bear the names of other candidates for the Senate
and Assembly. IN other counties the names Of
the local candidates VIII replace those on the city
and county ticket OF New-York City.
Voters must be careful in the marking of the
ballots because the law explicitly declares that
ballots which are marked improperly must be
thrown out and not counted by the inspectors Of
election.
The directions On the top Of the bale. are pre-
sumed TO be ample TO guide man Of ordinary
intelligence in the marking of the ballots. but
the directions must be followed carefully. In the
first place 1t is necessary to use only pencil
having a black lead in marking a ballot To
mark with pen or with pencil marking blue
red. green. purple or other color would cause
the ballot TO be thrown out. The reason for hav-
ing the ballots marked only with a black lead
pencil was to prevent the mark showing through
the paper and allowing election officer to tell
what ticket was marked for voting. 1t is neces-
gary that the ballot should be secret ballot.
There have been reports that Tammany bench
men in many Of the election districts would
carry into the voting booths and leave there
pencils which make an apparently black mark
but which have leads chemically treated so that
the mark will chang, from black to green after
a short exposure. Other voters who entered the
booths and found the pencils conveniently handy
might use them, It IVES said. and thus have their
ballots thrown out later. There may be no truth
in such reports. but the safest way Will be for
every to provide himself with a pencil hav-
ing black lead and use that pencil in marking
his ballot
ONE MUST NOT SCRATCH IN THE OLD
Every voter should use sufficient intelligence
In voting TO vote for the right candidates II he
wants to vote straight ticket he can hardly
make mistake, for he has only to make mark
in the circle under the party emblem, but If he
wants 10 vote for most of the candidates and
scratch" others he might easily lose his vote by
drawing a line through the name OF candidate
That old manner Of scratching is to in
validate the entire ballot and 1t TO be
thrown out. No marx ~ any kind. except the
cross mark mentioned in the directions is al
lowed on any ballot IL 4 Republican does not
want TO vote for one particular candidate on his
party's ticket and does want TO vote for
candidate for the same Office on any Of the other
tickets he may write any name he chooses under
the title Of the Office in the blank column at the
right OF the ballot ana make cross mark in the
space to the left If the name. at tine same time
making a mark In the circle under his
party emblem In that way ne votes for all of
the candidates he wants TO vote tor and does not
vote for the candidate he does not want to vote
for He can also accomplish the same thing In a
different way b. emitting TO make cross mark
in the circle under tn party emblem and making
separate cross marks in the spaces to the left of
the names of the candidates for whom he desires
to vote and making no mark at all opposite the
name Of the candidate for when ne does not
want to vote.
To make any erasure Of name on ballot
would have the effect TO invaiidate the entire
bplot The erasure "a dn emblem would have
the sane effect. Voters who do not make the
cross mark in the circle under the party emblem.
but make a mark for each candidate should be
careful 10 make the marks In the spaces to the
left OF the names Of the candidates. To make the
marks in the spaces to the right Of the csndi-