The herald., 1898-01-10
A Digest Of the New
Statute
SOME SWEEPING CHANGES
THE PROVISIONS SHOULD BE
CAREFULLY STUDIED
The Law Is Calculated to Secure Fair,
Unbiased Expression Of Pub
lie Opinion

The new primary election law is very
properly regarded as one of the most
| important legislative acts relating to
politics that has been passed for a long
| time. Its promoters believe that it will
have a great power in the direction of
reform, and it is to be hoped that the
most sanguine expectations will be re-
allied.
The new law is very long, covering
twenty printed pages, and requires care
full study in order to become familiar
with it's provisions. Many citizens will
have neither the time nor the inclina-
ton to give the law a careful reading,
and the following digest may be of
value:
Conventions to nominate candidates
shall be known as state, district or
local conventions, as the case may be.
In presidential years a state conven-
tion to elect delegates to the national
conventions shall be composed Of dele
gates selected pursuant to the provls-
ions of this act at a general primary
election to be held upon the last Tues
day in March of such year.
A general primary election for the
election of delega tes to the state and dis
trict conventions in the year 1898 for
the purpose of nominating candidates
for Office to be voted for at the next en-
suing general election shall be held on
the second Tuesday in July, and every
four years thereafter on the same day.
1t shall be the duty of the board of
election commissioners of each county
or city and county to designate day
or days upon which primary election
for delegates to the various local con-
ventions shall be held. This must be
done at least sixty days prior to the
day named, and published for at least
five successive days in one daily news
paper of general circulation in the city
or county.
All political parties desiring to hold
a convention must petition the board of
election commissioners at least twenty
days before the day for such primary
election, which day must be fixed by the
election commissioners.
No political party or organization can
use the name Of another political party
deceive voters.
During the month of January of each
year in which general election is to be
held the board of election commissioners
of each county or city and county must
select from the precinct registers the
| names of not less than fifteen electors
residing in each election precinct, such
selection to be made from each of the
nearly equal proportion as practica BILE;
the names to be sealed up in envelopes
after being written on separate pieces of
paper, and safely kept for the use of the
board as hereinafter provided. The
names so selected to be recorded in a
Fbook which must be kept open to public
inspection at all times.
Twenty days before the holding of
primary election the board of election
commissioners shall draw from the fore
going list in a prescribed manner the
names of persons who shall act as the
officers of the primary elections, 1t being
arranged that no two of the clerks and
judges shall belong to the same politi-
cal party.
The clerk of the board of election COM
missoners shall publish in some news
paper of general circulation for two sue
cessive publications, at least fifteen DAYS
prior to the date of the primary election,
a general statement giving to the voters
the essential information concerning
such election, including the location of
the polling places and the names of the
primary officers.
Persons chosen to serve as an officer
at primary election must so serve un-
less he can offer good excuse; other
wise failure to act is punishable as
| misdemeanor.
Within ten days after the election
commissioners have issued the call for
a primary election the governing au-
thority of of any party or political or
ganization desiring to secure place for
the nominees Of their party on the Off
cial ballot shall publish a notice calling
convention. stating the place where
and the time when, which must be not
less than seven days subsequent to the
primary election. Such notice for each
| convention shall be published five sue
general circulation.
The city and county committees of any
political party shall apportion the ter
iitoiy oNSi WHICH tlley nave JurlSulcG1On
into precincts not embracing more than
one assembly district, and prescribe the
apportionment of delegates therefor.
No person shall be allowed to hold
more than one proxy at any convention
authorized by law to certify nominations
for office on an official ballot for election
in this state. The official ballot must
be used. The election commissioners
must furnish the ballot boxes under
specified rules.
The ballots for each party shall be
printed upon colored paper, of a color
or combination of colors used by no
other party, furnished under prescribed d
rules.
The election officers shall stand be-
hind the ballot boxes, and as each voter
approaches to vote, when it is ascer-
tanned that he is entitled to vote, it shall
be noted in the register, by the clerk,
in which box he votes, by writing in the
register opposite his name the name on
the box in which he votes, and thereupon
his ballot shall be received by the Judge
of election or inspector and deposited
in the ballot box named by such voter.
and in no other, in the presence of the
voter; provided, that no ballot shall be
deposited in any box unless it is printed
on paper Of the color or combination of
colors designated for the particular par
ty in whose box it is to be placed.
There shall be at least one polling
,,1aoa For tho p,Irpoco of ,,ri,,, q ~, oloo