Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1897-12-09
The Election Law is Not Understood.
Richmond Times.l

We printed yesterday interviews with
several members of the incoming Leglsla-
ture touching an amendment of the cleo
ton laws in the interest of honesty and We
must admit that they were in the main
far from satisfactory. Tor instance, Cap
tain Minter, of Bedford county, said he
was in favor of fair elections, but he did
not see how better election law could
well be enacted than the present one. We
have no doubt Captain Minter is perfectly
sincere, and we are compelled, therefore,
to believe that he does not really under
stand our election law in its entirety. He
could not have said this if he did, and we
shall therefore state, in as brief space as
possible, the leading features Of the law.
The whole machinery of the elections in
county or town is under an electoral
board for that county or town. This board
consists of three members who are elected
to their places by the Legislature. If its
existence is continued at all, it ought to
consist of members of all political parties,
but it does not. 1t consists of three Dem
ocrats. This has, of course, laid the foun-
dation Of the whole business in partizanry
and encouraged injustice and wrong, and
it ought to surprise no one if the corrupt
tree bore corrupt fruit.
We all know that when an officer for
county ga" is to be elected by the Legis-
lature the member from county "A' is al
lowed to name the person who is elected
When, therefore, we say the electoral
board for a county is elected by the Legis-
lature, we really mean that it is chosen by
the member from that county, and, if he
has been chosen by a fraudulent election
it is absolutely certain that he will chose
an electoral board that will connive at
fraudulent elections thereafter. This prin-
ciple has caused many counties in Virginia
to have partizan electoral boards, COM
posed of Democrats only who are not very
particular in seeing that the elections are
fairly conducted, 60 that their party wins
in them. So much for the electoral board
when is the source out of which all the
product flows.
The elections are actually conducted by
three judges of election and two clerks.
The judges are appointed by and are re-
moved by the electoral boards and the
Judges appoint the clerks. The law re-
quires that the judges shall represent two
political parties. But if the electoral
board is a dishonest body, this point in the
law can be easily met, and, in fact, in many
counties it is actually met in every day
practice. If the electoral board desire to
secure dishonest election all it has to do
is to appoint two dishonest Democratic
judges and one nominal Republican judge,
being worthless negro, who for fifty
cents will shut his eyes and let the two dis
honest Democratic judges do what they
will. In this way the ballot box is placed
under the absolute end entire control Of
Two dishonest Democratic judges.
The law requires that the judges of cleo
ton at each precinct shall be furnished
with double as many ballots as there are
registered voters at that precinct, and
when tie election is over they are to de-
stroy all ballots that have not been used
in voting.
The law further requires that when the
polls are closed at sunset the three judges
are to take the ballot-boX, exclude every
body from the room and thus being by
themselves to open it. Compare the num-
Der of ballots in the box with the number
of persons who have been recorded upon
the poll-book as having voted. This is
called canvassing the vote. Mark! the
the judges are to be alone when they do
this. What is to prevent dishonest judges
from taking from the box all the ballots
that have been voted and putting in their
place the others that they have marked
as thew wish the election 10 90 and then
destroying those that were left over?
Nothing! absolutely nothing!! and through
this feature in the law every ballot-box in
the State may be actually stuffed with false
ballots wherever dishonest judges have
been appointed to make the elections dis
honest. This is the opportunity carefully
given. After the judges of election have
had the ballot-box to themselves for can
wasting the vote as long time as they de-
sire, they are then to invite spectators to
come in and see them count the ballots
But this is plainly case of locking the
stable door after the horse has just been
stolen.
Now these are the plain unvarnished
facts of the case, and we do not believe
Captain Minter knew these to be the facts
when he said our law could not be inn
proved. Nothing could be palmer than
that if the elections are to remain under
the control of electoral boards, both polit-
boards. Nothing can be palmer than that
the Republican judge could be chosen by
responsible Republican authority. Moth
ing can be palmer than that spectators
should be present when the judges open
the box to canvass the ballot, and that
every step taken, from the time voting
ceases until the result of the election is
announced, should be open and before the
the public where every one can see what
ever is done. There are many other
amendments that should be made to the
law, but these are SO open and fragrant
that they cry aloud with their own tongue
for adoption. Indeed our law needs
thorough and far-reaching recasting. 1t is
essentially wrong, in that it does not pro-
wide against fraud and bribery and does
olive abundant freedom for both.