The San Francisco call., 1896-10-11
THE AMERICAN BALLOT.

The current number of the Forum, con-
tains an article upon the American ballot
by Hugh II. Lusk, an ex-member OF the
New Zealand Legislature and resident
for many years of the Antipodes. After
some welI-worded reflections upon the
motives which influence and the methods
W ich mislead the mind of the average
voter, the writer proceeds to explain the
essential differences between the present
American system of voting and its origl-
nal, the Australian system, upon which
it is supposed to be modelled. After ex-
planning these divergences, Mr.. Lusk pro-
ceeds to contrast the two systems, quite to
the detriment of the American plan.
Among the notable departures of the
American from the Australian system,
Mr.. Lusk lays especial emphasis upon the
following, with respect to the registration
of voters under the Australian system: 1t
is not left to the discretion OF the citizen
to claim registration; the Government
compels it, and by a system of public in
spection sees TO it that the name of every
person entitled to vote is entered upon the
register, and that the name of every per-
son not entitled to vote is removed from
it. The electoral roll thus prepared and
purged is not open 10 challenge upon the
day of election, and thus all confusion or
delay arising from the exercise of chal-
lenges during our election are entirely
avoided under the Australian plan.
Another essential difference in the two
systems is that in Australia no two issues
are ever mixed at a single election. Mem
bers of the Legislature are chosen at one
time and the municipal officials at an
other. While this makes elections fre-
quent, it lessons the degree of their i'm
portance, and therefore of their inter-
ference with business which inheres under
the American plan.
In Australia election days are not holi-
days. nor are there any of the outward
evidences of public interest in them which
form so insistent part of the American
election. The ballot also, which is to be
voted at any single election, is small and
simple affair compared with our blanket
ballots, and all party designations are
omitted from 1t. The names of the can
didates being placed upon the ballot by
the Government officials conducting the
election the voter, instead of marking by
cross or otherwise the names of those for
whom he wishes to vote, obliterates the
names OF those for whom he does not.
With these elements of simplicity IN the
Australian system it is claimed that a
single polling-place will easily accommo-
date eight or ten thousand voters between
8 in the morning and in the after.
noon, while less than as many hundred
can be accommodated between sunrise
on of low
1t must be confessed by those who be-
lieve that our present system of voting is
in advance of that existing prior to its
adoption that there are distinct superiori-
ties in the original Australian system
which we have failed to transplant to our
own. 1t must also be admitted that our
attempts at improvement of the Austria
liam original have not been successful.
We have robbed it of its simplicity in our
endeavor to adapt it to what has ap-
peared to our politicians to be the essen
tial peculiarities of American politics, and
have introduced elements of confusion,
which, unless they are speedily removed.
will endanger the success and existence
of the entire system.
1t only requires a glance at our Califor-
mia experience to discover these defects.
Ever since the so-calied Australian ballot
law became part of our political system,
| our courts have been occupied in the at
tempt to unravel its intricacies. Every
election campaign seems to bring to the
surface an increasing crop of problems for
the courts to solve, and their solution ap-
pears only to develop a new series of
conundrums. During the past month,
the Supreme Court OF the State of CAL
ifornia has been mainly occupied with
these tangles, to the exclusion of other
| business far more important to the rights
OF the average citizen; and this is but a
repetition of its experience during prior
campaigns. If these conflicts over the
construction and application of our ballot
law ended with election day, there would
be less reason for complaint t, but they do
not and will not so end.
Every recent election held in California
! has resulted in a cloud of contests, which
bring 10 the surface evidences of the con-
fusion, uncertainty and error into which
! electors have fallen in their enaeavor to
obey the law. It is becoming more and
more apparent that the American ballot
system must be purged of these evils be-
fore it can be credited with being the sue.
cess which at the time of its adoption its
admirers claimed for it.