The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1896-09-26
OF INTEREST," VOTERS.
THE "BLANkET BALLOT
We MUST USE.
None But Men Without Eyes OF Meh
without Hands Can Receive Aid i'll the
BOOth-There Will Be MEMORANDUM
Voters and ..Sample Ballot" Voters.
However Main Point of the Law.

The tblanket ballot" provided for
by the election law of 1885. will be in
use for the first time at the November
election in Montana. The blanket
ballot as its name implies, is a ballot
on which the names Of the candidates
OF each political party are grouped In
seperate columns. so that an elector, by
making a cross at the head OF the col
m containing the candidates of his
party may by this one mark vote ION
every candidate below: in other Words
he may vote Il straight party ticket,
according to the Butte Miner.
If the situation were such IN the
state and in the several counties that
each party had made straight nomina-
tious the blanket ballot would be a very
simple arrangement this year, even for
people who desired to scratch their
tickets. that is to vote for candidates
of different parties. But the situation
is not such. The Democrats and the
Populists have fused on the state ticket
and also in some OF the counties. 1t
was thought that the Democratic and
Populist state nominees would be
classed in one column under the cap
ton Fusion ticket" The secretary
of state, however, has decided that
each party must have a column OF it.
self. The Democratic ticket must go
in one column, the Populist in another,
the neutrality-suspicious. ticket with
the straight congressional nomination
in another and the Bryan Republican
ticket, with it's congressional nominee
and the state ticket in another.
Under this disposition it becomes
necessary for the chairman OF the
Democratic state convention, in certl-
fving the Democratic ticket to the Sec
retary of state, to include in his list
the nominees of the Peoples party con-
vention. The chairman OF the Peoples
parties convention must do the same
for the nominees named by the Demo-
cratic convention. Otherwise, If each
party column contained only the names
of the nominees of that party, Demo-
Gratis or Populists, by making a mark
at the head of the respective columns
would vote for only such fusion noml-
nees as we're named by his own party
convention. By including all the Dem
ocratic and Populist nominees in both
columns a mark at the head OF either
column votes for all the fusion nOml'
nees on the state ticket. The same
rule applies where there has been fu'
sion on the county ticket. Where
VuCIc IuS OCOA AO IAS4C4A oA GAAO VIVA y
ticket, the names OF the straight Demo
cratic or Populist nominees will go II
the columns under the name OF the
respective parties beneath the nominee:
of the two state conventions. so tina
a Democrat or a Populist who desires
to vote his county ticket as we'll as vot
ing for the fusion nominees on tn
state and national tickets has only t.
mark a cross opposite the word Demo
cratic" or "People's Party'' at tn
head of the proper column.
In view OF the change in the form o
ballot from that heretofore used am
the somewhat mixed up character Q
the tickets, it would be we'll for al
voters to study up the changes so tina
they may be prepared to vote intllll
gently. This is particularly necessar
II view Of the fact that hereafter ther
will be no such practice as taking int
a voting place a card bearing the II
scription II neither read or speak tn
English language, but desire to vot
for" any particular ticket.
The law in regard to the form OF tn
ballot reads:
THE list OF candidates for the sever
al parties shall be placed in separa,
columns on the ballot in such order
the authorities charged with the pr
p~aration of the ballots shall decid'
Every ballot must also contain IL
name 0 the party or principle whie
the candidates represent. Below TT
names of candidates for each otfi'
there must BIZ left a blank space lars
enough to contain as many Write
names of candidates"
In other parts of the law n folio
ing provisions + made in regard
the same matter:
"The elector may write in the blal
spaces Or paste over any other name Il
name of any other person for whC
he wishes to vote.
IAN elect0r may write or paste
his ballot the name of any person !
whom he desires to vote 1Or any OH
and must mark the same, and su
vote must be counted the same as
printed upon the ballot and mark
py the voter
From this it is inferred that if no
of the candidates for any particular
-ice are satisfactory to a voter ne c
vote for some one else who has
been named by any political party a
if there are enough people who tnl
as he does some body may be cleo
who hasn't'been thought OF.
On the matter of marking the bal
the new law cOnti ms the following p
vision:
ION receipt of his ballot the elec
must forthwith, without leaving
polling place and within the guart
rail provided, and alone, retire to
of the places, booths or cOmpartmei
if such are provided, and prepare
hallOt. TT he shall desire to vOt