The San Francisco call., 1896-08-11
THE VOTERS HAVE
ALL REGISTERED,
The Precinct Booths Closed
Their Doors Last
Evening.
TOTAL NUMBER LARGE.
Great Increase in Central Reg.
istration Over Years
Gone BY.
WILL PURGE ALL THE LISTS
Registrar Hinton Says That There
Has Been Far Less Stuffng
Than Usual.
WILL PURGE ALL THE LISTS.

Precinct registration, that has been held
for the past FIVE days. closed at 10 o'clock
last evening, and those who have failed to
declare their qualifications as voters will
be compelled to stand aside and see their
more fortunate or thoughtful brethren
cast their ballots on election day.
The feeling of uncertainty that prevailed
up to the close of central registration re-
garding the legality of the work in the
precincts, made vast difference this year
regarding the manner in which the electors
of the City chose to insure the exercise of
their right. Toward the last the central
bureau, with an extra force of clerks work
ing full time. was rushed to its fullest
extent and at times the crush was enor-
nous.
The result was that 58, ,626 voters were
registered, an increase of 1000 over last
year. When precinct registration began
the result was at once apparent, for the
officers appointed to attend to those who
had not visited Registrar Hinton's head
quarters at the new City Hall had little to
do beside kicking their heels about the
precinct booths and whistling for voters
to come in and be registered. In some
precincts the number registered did not
exceed five a day.
1t was figured that the 26000 names
registered from the precincts last year
would dwindle to about half that sum,
and the result shows that the calculations
of the officials were not far off.
Up to the closing hour the number of
those who had taken advantage of the five
days footed up total of 1880, with
thirty-nine precincts to hear from.
Added to the SO, 626 recorded at the
central bureau, it appears that the regis
tration OF the last election was exceeded
by over 1000 names. The registration of
the first four days was as follows: August
5, 1852; 6, 2974; I, 1869; 8, 257.
For the next three days the election
officers of the precincts will be engaged in
checking up the books of their precincts
with view of clearing off, if possible, the
names of those who are not entitled to be
on the rolls.
AS only residents of the precincts were
appointed on the boards, and generally
those familiar with the names of the
electors in their various localities, it is
expected that this work will result in the
dropping from the lists of large proper
tion OF those who have no right to cast
votes. The names objected to will be
placed on doubtful list and dropped if
investigation shows that their registration
was fraudulent.
Those who are familiar with the polit-
cal situation as it now stands say that the
importance of the issues involved in the
coming election are largely responsible for
the increase in the registration, and that
on all sides are the evidences that the
electors OF the country are more than ever
alive to the desirability of casting their
ballots on November 4.
Registrar Hinton said last evening that
he believed that there had been com para.
lively little fraudulent registration. and
that few names would be dropped from
the roll.