The San Francisco call., 1897-01-21
EVERY VOTER TO
Be PHOTOGRAPH
Assemblyman Strains Plan
to Insure Honest
Elections.
The Camera to Play a Leading
Part in Campaigns of the
Future.
Introduction of a Bill Designed tC
Prevent Stuf6ng Of the Register
and Repeating.

SACRAMENTO, CAL, Jan. 20-The
photographers camera is destined to
play an important part in elections in
this State if Assembly man Strains bill,
No. lOl, should become law. The bill is
| intended to prevent stufing OF the regis
ter and repeating by having each voter
photographed, not for the rogues' gallery,
but for the information of the election
officers. 1t will prevent stuffer from
voting in some one else's name. for his
mug" must fit the Paris panel, and if he
does not match the tintype he will be
arrested and prosecuted for violating the
purity of election law.
| The bill provides that Boards of Super
visors of each of the counties or cities and
counties of the State shall have power TO
prevent fraudulent voting by requiring
that photographs be taken of all electors
VINO make application for the entry of
their names upon the great register OF
| such county or city and county; provided
that the taking of such photographs be
done by contract at a public expense that
shall not exceed cents for two photo
graphs of each elector.
| The board, in ordering the photographs
of electors to be taken, may make such
order applicable to such county or city
and county as whole or may limit its
| operations to incorporated cities or towns
having not less than 10000 inhabitants.
The Board OF Supervisors may provide a
room or apartment or erect booth for
| taking the photographs of electors, but
| the person or persons to whom the con-
tract for taking the photographs is
awarded shall furnish all instruments and
all material and all labor required in the
prosecution Of the work OF taking the
photographs.
The photogra phs of the electors shall be
taken on adhesive paper or tissue, and
shall be placed by the County Clerk in
books for use in the different election pre-
cincts. One of the photographs taken of
each elector shall be placed in book, in
which the photographs shall be arranged
in the aphab abetical order of the names OF
the electors in the precinct. Under the
| photograph of each elector the name and
| mum Der of the elector shall be written as
| such name and number appear on the
precinct register. A second photograph
OF each elector in each precinct shall be
! placed in a book in which the photographs
shall be arranged according to the names
of the streets and according to the numer
ical order of the rooms in the houses.
Under such photograph the name and
number of the elector shall be written.
The Board of Supervisors may direct the
County Clerk to canvass any one or more
houses in any election precinct, with the
book of photographs OF the electors of such
precinct. The photographs of electors
registered from any house may be shown
to the owner, or occupant, or landlord, or
tenant. or manager, or clerk of such house,
and such owner, or occupant, or land dlord,
or tenant, or manager or clerk, or other
person having control of such house may
be questioned as to the residence of such
electors in said house. ANY person hav-
ing control in any house who shall refuse
| to give information, or who shall willfully
| give false inform alton in regard TO the
residence of electors in such house when
questioned by an officer, shall be guilty
of misdemeanor, and may be fined $500 or
| i'm prisoned for six months.
No elector shall bs allowed to cast his
ballot at the polls until his photograph is
examined. At the c,ose of the polls the
book of photographs shall be returned to
the County Clerk, and by him shall be
preserved for a period of not less than four
years. On trials for election frauds these
| books of photogra phs shall be ad fnitted as
evidence. In all counties and cities and
counties having a Board of Election Com
missioners and a Registrar of Voters. the
powers conferred and duties I'm posed by
this act upon Boards of Supervisors and
County Clerks shall be exercised and per-
| formed by the Election Com mmissioners and
| Registrar of Voters