El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-03-31
WARDS ELECTION BILL.
Provisions of the Measure Changing
the Manner of Holding Elections.

to be considered by the House the com
- ing week is the ward election bill, No.
A. Under the provisions of the bill
= Il compl tie cha g. is male in many Of
) the feature of he resent law regard
Q ing elec ions. some Of the chapges b..
y ing so great that Their adoption is
n highly mproblole. In fac5 the OBJ
jectiUns o he bill are becoming so
manifest that it i moe than l kelly
8 that MIR. Ward will endeavor SO tC
amend lis bill mat instead of its being
: general IL will be made to apply only &c
r CIT es of 1000 inhab t4nts or more.
Sec. l of the Ward bi l prescribes the
time for holding elections. 1t is the
9 neral belief that the present election
law a'e idy p escribes the time, but
this is Il mistake, for by some oversi ght
this was f. out OF the revised statutes
Of 1895, and no me is specified further
, han 10 state THAI an election be held
eve y two years.
From Sc. to Sec. 80 the new bill
makes practically no change in the
st tut one -rring elections, but after
this there are hume Gus new sections
which make oh ~ geS as fol ONs:
The Ward b provides for nomin-
atior by t. various poll zeal parties
aEd tue Ger i wing of them to The county
commissioners cpur's. Toe commits
siouers' court is required aft + due
not ce to ii x "a time for h a. ing all on
je ii, rs TO he nom nati Ons and is given
full authority aad power to pass on the
same.
After pass ug upon the nominations
| the com mis-iCn.rS' court i rrqu red to
prepare an official form f b Il OF, d t.
have the same pubiished a the expense
of the cOuuty and in accordance W tn
the fo,m OF ballot set firth In the bi |.
| Ate the b lilo are pr nted it is the
| duly of the commission er,' cOurf to put
! them up in pac <ages for eac1 election
precjn in e county. put ing in four
ballots + eao voter. acc, rdiHg to the
vote cast 70" governor at the last pre-
| cedlng ect o.
Eacl pres ding officer is required to
| appe ~ eff re the 'mmissone court
and rec Give the package of ballots for
ms ~ cinct. In case he fails to app ar
! it is made h duty of the commission
ers' curt 70 deliver such package TO
/ the CT II or his deputy, who snail de-
| liver same to the officers of the election
on or hefoi the hour fixed for opening
| the polls.
| Voting booths are required to be fur
ni,ne for each elect on precinct at t6e
eXp5n { of the county. These booLbs
are very simple affairs aud their est
ma ed cost, say for Travis county, is
u bout $500.
No ticket can be voted except the
OICldt bdlICJ anu nOuSs UuL OllICIdl Udl-
lots can be counted.
Persons who cannot read and write
English can be assisted in making their
b 10 by two judges of different pollti-
cal fairfS.
Sc. b of the bill says: when a new
party Is formed or organ Ze1, snch new
party shall d so have the right to make
and GETTY its nominations in accord
an e with the provisions of this act and
to adopt Il pD it cal name or designa
ton, am have 1T nominees appear in
column on the uffic al ballot. with the
appropriate heaoing as provided for in
t0ls act, but such new party shall not
as ume the name or part OF he name of
an existing party. or so nearly the same |
as mIg ht probably mi>lead the voters |
nor the name Of ipd~p 3ndent or fusion |
parry. By tue term of new party with |
in the meaning Of this act is meant, a |
pol t cal patty that has held a national |
or state convention. in accordance with |
party u-ag-s, and which has adopted a |
national CT state platform OF principles |
and which has made nominations for
president or vice president or for state
Offices"
Urder the old law persons are pro-
hibited from violaio of the act. but
no penal les are provided for such viola
ons. UnIer the Ward pill there will
be penalt es for all violations and they
a. e as iol .Ows:
Sec. -. If the county Judge shall
fail to make out duplicate returns of
the elect on and transmit the same to
the seat # government in the matter
.ud within the time required by section
60 of this act he shall be guilty of a
mis- emeanOr aid on convict on he
III al be PUBLISHED by fine of not less
han 800 no more than $500.
Sec 16. That no pc. son sh4l do any
q II ~ n nlpr |
within AIRY polling place or withiu 100
var Is of ny polling place: no voter at
a e ectiOn shall kuowir G y vote or
otter vUte any b Hot except the Off
cial ballot 5 by this act quired.
If a'y per-ou 5 all vi lat "a y of the
provisi ,us of this section he shall be
d, EN-, d ouuty of a mi-demeanor, and
on convic ion he shall be punished by
a fiGe of notrles5 tnan 500 nor more
than $500
Sec ion IL If the managers of cleo
lion shall fail to oliver The election
retu' MS to the COMFY juoge and the
clerk # III cOI' ty c ut on or befO e
the MonGay next Iilo wing the day o!
cleo iOn prov ded for n $ ctiOu 81
# this act, they and each of them,
shall be deemei guilty of a IN sde-
meanOr and on conviction ca h
of them shall be punished by Il fine
Of not less taan SO nor more tnal
$3.50.
Section IS. Any printer employed to
print the Official ballOss provid d for in
his act, or any person engaged in
urn in tie same. who shall PRINT, or
cause, or permit to be pin ed, any
Off ial ba lots printed OF er"ise than
according to the copy for the same
furn sued tim by the commission RS
court, or any false or fraudulent ballots
or VINO appropriateS to himself, or
gives or d .iivers. or knowingly per
mits TO be ia en- any of said ballots by
any other person than the commission
er's court or by he pc son by said courI
authorized: aud any person who shall
Knowingly have in his possession any
1Iic al ba lot illegally obtained, or
shall ku)~iugly attempt to vote any
other than an Off al ballot lawfully
shall b. de med guilty of a
IN sdemeanor, and on conviction shall
be punished by fine of not less than
500 nor more than $1,000. or by impri-