Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-12-02
CONCERNING VOTING AT ELECTIONS

There has been said great deai
about the Utah election laws, and
some effort has been made to show that
they are invalid. This latter conten-
ton, however, does not seem to be
well founded, 30 far as concerns any
point yet raised, therefore attempts al
sgitating the public mind have failed.
The election for this year IL pnst,
the people are satisfied that the
result aimed at by the msjority
of the electors has been duly
attained, and they do not desire
any revolutionary movement to SET
aside the will 80 expressed. AS to any
weakness there may be in the statutes
and there are some OF Importance as
shown by the school election ahair-
there Is q general feeling to leave me
coming Legislature to remedy tin
regular form.
Apropos Of these discussions, how.
ever, there 10 still another item 10 con-
uectien with the State election lave.
Recently California pasted constilu-
tional amendment permitting the use oil
voting machines at elections In tnat
state. There Is no need for such
amendment here, for the Constitution
already makes the niece ssary provision;
and II the Legislature should conclude
that the machine system were so far
perfected rs to be EASILY handled, and
we're more satisfactory than the present
method, that body has the right to In
sugurate change thereto.
Thus far, the experience with voting
machines has boon most gratifying
At the last election, thorough prncti-
cal tests were made in several lochli'
ties In western New York, and the
reports made declare that In every
case the machines proved splendid
success. In Mount Vernon, for In
stance, the machines gave accurate
results OF the election seventeen min
uies after the polls closed; while In
i've ether cities having voting
strength Of from 10000 to 50, 600 the
returns were announced In from ten to
thirty minutes after closing the polls.
The chief advantages OF the election
machines are claimed to be saving OF
1 me, protection against fraud, and
reduction In the cost OF elections. Re-
gGrting the first, the time OF arriving
ut the result shows the gain there;
while In the voting, the machine can
eaily accommo late two voters min
ute. As to the second item, when the
voter registers his preference for can
didate, the record is taken by the
machine, which automatically pre-
vents a duplicate vots for the same or
any other candidate for that office; and
1t lie said that this gives most effective
protection. 30 far as the third item,
cast, IL concerned, the saving from the
Australian ballot 10 very great. The
figures Of expense show that the ma
chins plan costs less than one.fiith OF
the Australian system.
The reports on these machines show
hem to be worthy OF consideration
where any change In election laws is
contemplated. The absolute secrecy OF
tho ballot Is guarded as In no other
way, there Is q great Improvement in
the matter OF time and expense, and
lfaud Is declared to be made impOssi-
tile. With the tfllciaI verification
already given to these claims, perfect
familiarity with the machine system
would seem to be valuable attain
ment 10 an up.io.date legislator. The
indications are strong that the voting
machine Ia destined to come into early
use, and that to vote the elector will
merely press the button while the
machine does the rest; though pru-
dence may suggest that by waiting a
little time there may be produced more
perfect devices than those yet made
and tested.