The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-11
DEFECTIVE BALLOTS
Large Number Discovered In tn e
County Yesterday.
M EFFECT ON THE RESULT
WILL REDUCE THE MAJORITY OF
THE COMMISSIONERS
If the Election Had Been A Close
One. 1t Might Cause Serious
TrOubIe-HOw the Mistake Oc-
Cured In Printing the Ballots.

At a meeting of the county commits
sioners, sitting as a board of canvassers
of the election returns. the discovery
was made yesterday that a large por-
ton of the official ballots used at the
recent election were Incorrect. The dis
crepancy, fortunately, viii not affect
the result, but had the election been
close it would undoubtedly have caused
serious trouble. AS it is, the straight
Peoples party vote for county COM
missioners can not be counted, for the
reason that there are four Peoples
party candidates for these offices.
HOW IT OCCURRED.
The simple story is this: More than
one-haf of the official ballots used in
this county We're sent out having the
words Independent Peoples party af-
ter the name Of Samuel Perry, the reg
ular Republican nominee for county
commissioner. The mistake was APP
parently not discovered by the county
clerk when he sent out the ballots, af-
ter having ascertained they. were cor
rect in every way.
election matters, could not account for
the discrepancy. T. He examined the
proofs and most of the printed ballots
of the first lot that was turned out and
as the forms at the printers We're
stereotyped, he could not see how such
mistake could occur.
Foreman LoVendahl of the Tribune
job office, where the ballots were
printed, threw some light on the error.
He explained that after a number of
ballots had been run off, it was neces-
sary TO make a new cast. In handling
the forms the word Republican" fol-
lowing the word Independent" after
Perry's name had evidently dropped
out and the printer in making a pick
UP, had placed the words Peoples
party instead of Republican He ex-
plains that the firm printed nearly all
the official ballots for the surrounding
counties and on many of these the
words Independent Peoples party
appeared, so that in a moment of for
getfullness it was easy for the printer
TO make a mistake
When the ballots were finished they
were turned over to the county clerk
for inspection, but although the larger
portion of them are defective, it seems
that the error was overlooked.
EFFECT ON THE VOTE.
The discrepancy is against the three
Democratic candidates for commission
ers as we'll as Mr.. Perry himself. The
former are on the fusion ticket and all
straight Peoples party votes for com
missioner would accordingly be thrown
out. Reckoning on the basis that the
Populists in this county cast 800
straight votes, and that one-haIf of
the ballots are misprinted, it would
only make a difference of 400 votes.
which would not come anywhere near
the result for these Offices.
ANOTHER ERROR.
Another error was discovered on the
from the Twentieth precinct.
where all the Democratic candidates
lad been given ten more votes than
he tally showed.
The board has now completed % pre-
,lncts, comprising the First and Sec
md municipal wards.
JUSTICES AND CoNSTABLEs.
The official votes for justices of the
peace and consta bles in these wards
Ire as follows:
First Municipal Ward.-Justice, w.
". Gee (Dem.), 2,O77: T. NJ. Timer
Rep-l, 1,254. Gees majority, S23. Con-
stable: Adam Duncan (Dem.), 1880:
Solomon Crown (Rep.), 1908. Duncan.s
naaority, 672.
Second Municipal Ward.-Justice:
Norris Sommer Dem.), 2.29S; w. c. |
3urton (Rep.), 1858. Sommer's ma
GRITTY, SIC. Constable: B. F. West
Dem.), 2,347; James Williams (Rep.), |
,e21. Vests majority, 726.