The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-07-23
STATE SOLDIER VOTE
Provision Made By the Law
Of New Jersey for TAX
ing it in the Field.
A DIFFICULT TASK
The Way it Is to Be Done De-
creed by Statute Six
Thousand Absent Men.
DIFFICULT TASK

SlOO0 Ny 0bdbQtG - DIX
Thousand Absent Men.
The politicians in various sections of the
State are endeavoring to size up the
soldier vote of the State. That vote viii
be a factor this year. The expectation
is that the soldier vote will have 10 be
taken in the field and if it is some prepa-
ration win have to be made to poll the
vote. 1t will be readily seen that the task
will be difficult one From this city
alone there is over 600 men now in the
service of Uncle Sam, divided between
the three companies at Sea Girt, the Ma
val Reserves and the Trentonians in the
Sixth Cavalry Regiment. From the
State 1t is safe to say that there are be-
tween $500 and 5000 men in the service.
To meet the requirements under the
law conventions must be held early and
nominations completed long before the
usual time of completing the ticket. The
law requires that the vote of each soldier
and sailor must be taken in the field, and
certificate must be subscribed too,
showing the right of each Individual to
vote. To do this the names of all candi-
dates must be furnished to each enlisted
soldier and sailor. He may then signify
his preference and return the list of
names of those selected to a friend, who
is to deposit the list in each election dis
trict where the vote should be polled. The
law provides all necessary safeguards to
prevent the perpetration of frauds.
- l.a t,Ixi nf
the vote in the way prescribed win re-
quire a considerable time If official ball
lots are to be used they will have to be
printed very early. The law does not
make it necessary to use official ballots.
The enlisted voter may prepare his own
list of candidates and write the list him
self
The sections of the law bearing on
the vote of enlisted soldiers will be found
In Chapter 139 of the Laws of 1888, and
was enacted by the Legislature last win
ter The sections embrace from No. 22o
to 232 The enlisted voter shall execute
a certificate in writing not more than
sixty days before any general or special
election, authorizing any elector of the
election district in which such enlisted
voter resides to cast for such enlisted
voter his ballot. The certificate must be
signed by the enlisted voter, attested by
two witnesses, and sworn TO before any
field officer or captain to which the en-
listed voter belongs. The enlisted voter
shall also make affidavit as follows
II do solemnly swear or af-
firm that 1 am a citizen of the United
States, that 1 am now of the age of q
years. that 1 have been Cor will have
been) a resident of the State of New Jer-
sey for one year, and of the county of
for five months next preceding
the election to be held ON the
day of , eighteen hundred and
-, and that am now resident of
the - ward of the city Cor town. of
and that I am Cor will be) in all
respects qualified to vote in said city Cor
town. at said election, and until said cleo
ton intend to be a resident thereof; and
do further swear that I am in the actual
military service of the State of New Jer-
sey. (or of the United States), in the ar
my Tor navy thereof, and that I am
member of company of the
- regiment describing the organ
ization or vessel to which he belongs,
now at or near -, In the State Cor
Territory, or country1 of --. Sworn
to and subscribed to before me this -----
dav of , ammo domini eighteen
hundred and .
The law provides that the absent elect
or in the service shall prepare and fold
the ballot he designs to cast at such elec-
tion, and inclose the same. together with
the certificate, in an envelope, duly sealed,
having on the outside, either written or
printed. the affidavit above given. The
envelope shall be inclosed by the voter in
another envelope, marked soldiers or
sailors vote sealed and directed 10 the
elector empowered by the enlisted voter
to cast the ballot of the enlisted voter at
the polls The said absent elector may
then transmit the envelope to the person
to whom it is directed by mail or other
wise.
The elector to whom the letter shall be
directed may open the outer envelope,
but he shall not open the inner envelope.
On the day of the election, and between
the opening and the closing of the poles.
he shall deliver such inner envelope to the
Board Of Election of the proper election
district, and at the polls, and if the per-
son whose name shall be signed TO the
affidavit on the outside of the envelope
shall be a duly qualified voter in the elec-
tion district, the envelope containing the
vote shall be publicly opened by the Board
and the vote deposited in the ballot box.
The name of the absent elector shall be
entered upon the poll list, together with
the name of the person delivering the
ballot.
No envelopes containing a soldiers or
sailors ballot shall be opened by the
Board of Election unless the name Of the
person signing the affidavit on the out
side Of the envelope shall be found upon
the registry list Of the district where
such person claims to reside. or unless
an affidavit be made and subscribed by a
voter of the district, to the effect that he
knows that the enlisted voter whose vote
is offered is a resident of the district.
The ballots contained in any such envel-
ope which shall have been opened or un-
sealed before it has been delivered to the
Board of Election shall not be deposit
ed in the ballot box, but shall be rejected.
The affidavlts and certificates and all
envelopes marked soldiers or sailors
vote, not opened at the elections. shall be
kept filed by the clerk of the election in
the same manner and place as the roa
lists Any person who shall be entitled