The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-02-03
THE BLANKET BALLOT.

we nave Ol VOtlnS 1t is not only
cumbersome, but expensive aud in
convenient. And so far as l can see,
it has not one redeeming feature.
One of the advantages claimed for
it, was that it enabled man to vote
secretly, as the ballots were all alike.
Spies at the polling places could not
tell by the shape or size of the ballot,
or by the style of the paper which
party the person was voting with. In
few instances this may be true, but
l will venture the assertion, that a
watchman at polls or member of the
election board could if so disposed in
a majority of cases tell how each per-
son voted.
For instance, a man takes his ballot
and goes into the booth, he opens the
ballot, and with two strokes of his
pencil he makes a cross at the top OF
one of the columns, he refolds his
ballot and comes out. He has voted
and voted a straight ticket. 1t is
generally known to which party a
man owes fealty, hence it is known
how the man voted.
Where man votes mixed ticket,
it may not be possible to tell with
certainty how the man voted, but
from the length of time he spends in
the booth, lockers on will feel assured,
that he is i'oting mixed ticket and
hence will be regarded with suspic IN
by those who think that everything
that is "pure and Lowell and of good
report" is wrapt up in their own
party.
But there is another class of voters
who insist on having some one to aid
them in preparing their ballot.
They have the privilege of cboos-
ing their man. They choose a radical
partisan. and it goes without saying,
that he is going to vote to suit that
man.
People are sometimes accused of
selling their votes. In that case they
will no doubt call the purchaser to
their aid in preparing their ballot.
There would then be no question as
to whether he delivered the goods.
AS the present style of voting is adj
mittedly cumbersome, expensive and
inconvenient, why should we longer
tolerate it ? Better go back to the
old style of voting. A man could
vote secretly, if he chose. Or if
man sold himself he could satisfy the
purchaser, that he was living up to
his contract. And all this could be
done much cheaper than under the
present style.
If some charge is desirable, why
not adopt the style followed in Massa-
chusetts and perhaps in some other
states ? Furnish each voter with an
envelope in which to place his ballot
after crossing the name of such candi-
dates as he did not wish to vote for.
The names of all the candidates could
be printed in one column, under the
name of the Office to be filled, leaving
blank space under each head for
one or two names as the case may be,
where the voter may write such name
or names as he sees proper, not ex-
ceeding the number for which he is
entitled to vote.
The envelopes should be all alike
and the ballots all alike. And as it
would require just as long to vote a
straight ticket as mixed one, abso-
lutte secrecy could be secured. Spies
at the polling places would then be
out Of a job. think all intelligent
men will agree, that some change
should be made in our style of voting.
There may be g, ariety of opinions,
as to how that change should be made,
but while we do not have money TO
burn or throw away, some plan less
bungling and less expensive should be
adopted.
A ballot more liable to misconstruc-
ton by plain people than the one now
in use would be difficult to form. So
a change is likely to be beneficial in
more ways than one.
The aim should be in forming a
ballot, to make it as ineligible
as possible, giving no excuse for an
intelligent man to call for aid in pre-
pairing his ballot.
With plain ballot there would be
no necessity of printing two or three
ballots for each voter in the district,
the most of them to be cast aside or
burned up. In envelopes there need
be no waste, as they will be all right
for any subsequent election.
Jay EYE SEE.