The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-01

passes into the hands of comparatively
poor people, the monty does some
good.
1t has been said that if the work of
running election day were intrusted to
some sound business concern the ex-
pense would be just about One-half
and there appears TO be some truth in
this when the various items which go
TO make up the great total are ex-
amined.
NEARLY l 400 POLLING PLACES.
In the first place there will be 1882
places where the good citizen can cast
his vote. This is the number of cleo
ton districts in the various assembly
districts. The election districts are so
placed that each one Will have about
200 voters to take care of. but in some
of them, located in the very crowded
portions of the city, the number of
voters runs as high as 400. This is
the case even when there are two poll
ing places to a square block.
OF the 1892 polling places. 1,310 of
them are placed in small stores, usually
barber shops and cigar stores. For
the privilege Of using a section Of one
of these shops the city pays a rental
of $50. although the monthly rent of
the store may not be S25. Thus. for
these 1,310 places the city pays $50, 800,
an item which could easily be cut in
two. Eighty-two Of the 1892 places
are portable booths erected in resi-
Dental quarters. where there are no
stores The sum of 500 each, or IS 200
in all, is paid for these, and the firm
who gets the contract for hiring them
out must make a very fat profit
RICH PAY FOR CLERKS.
There are seven election officials in
each polling place, namely, three in
ole I ho1-
lot clerks. The inspectors get $36
each or Sc g day for the four days of
registration, and so for election day.
AS there are AIS inspectors, the sum
Of S149, 1856 goes TO them. The poll and
ballot clerks get S12 each for election
day, and as there are 5,56S of them,
they receive the sum of s66,S16.
Eight millions of ballots have been
printed for use on Tuesday, and these
have cost $4,000. There are many
candidates in the field in the national,
state and local campaigns Ten Of
fetal ballots is the maximum allowed
by state law, and a complete set must
be given each voter. That voter has
the right TO four complete sets. If he
Should then fail to fold them properly,
or comply with the many little details
of the secret ballot law. he loses his
chance to cast a vote II can be seen
that if every voter demanded his full
apportionInent OF forty ballots il would
require Il, 900, coo, instead Of S000 600, to
give every one Of the 100000 a vote.
1000 MILES OF BALLOTS.
The preparation Of these 50 tons. OF
2.0OG miles, of ballots is an interesting
affair The printer who secures the
lob is supposed to make a small sized
fortune out Of it, but this is a matter of
doubt Each ballot has to be printed
with the number of the election district
~ 1,1- =
trict, so that frequent 'make-overs"
In the forms are necessary.
They must be carefully sorted out,
to prevent those of one election dis
trict being mixed UP with those of an
other And, when they nave all been
printed, agonizing care must be taken
TO guard them. In this the printer IS
nided by details from the fire and po-
lice departments. It can readily be seen
what the result would be if fire con-
summed these ballots a day or two be-
fore election. 1t would be impossible
to have another lot printed in such
short time, and as election day offic-
lilly ends at 4 P. NJ. Tuesday. with no
chance Of its being deferred until new
ballots could be procured, the citizens
of the city would be in a fine pickle
OF course, some of them could get in
vote by writing our a ticket, but as
all the names must be correctly
spelled, and as few men have mern0q-
lied the names of all the candidates
this method would be a slow one And
the uneducated voters would have no
vote ar ali, as 1t is against the law for
q voter 10 be accompanied in e booth
unless he be blind, or physically in
capable of folding and marking the
ballo..
BY Monday all the ballots will be
distributed among the station houses
Of the city. and the police will be re-
Eponsible for them until they are
placed in the hands of the inspectors
at the different polling places. When
The day is ended the ballot boxes are
returned TO the station houses and are
conveyed to police headquarters, where
The returns are compiled.
The stationery used on election day,
sueh as maps, polling lists, tally sheets.
etc., cost $4,000. The expense of fit
ting up the polling places is $4,000; the
parting of booths, etc, costs $4,000, and
he official advertising costs $50, 600.