The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-01-21
MAIN FEATURES FIXED
A UNIFORM BALLOT WITHOUT
ANY DEVICE.
A STATE ELECTION BOARD CHOSEN
And County Board Chosen by the State Board.
The Iecior Nust Prove that he is En-.
titled TO Vote. framing the
Bill Begins To d5y.
Bill Begins To day.


The main features of the election law
10 be recommended to this Legislature
have been practically determined on by
the sub-committe having the matter III
charge.
The election machinery.
The nature Of the ballot.
The right Of the elector to vote.
These are, broadly speaking, the fea-
lures that have engaged the most care
full attention and regarding which
decision has been reached by the commit
! tee.
There will be chosen by this Legisla-
ture a State Board Of Elections COM
| posed of either FIVE or seven persons,
most probably five, that will perform the
duties usually intrusted to such bodies
| and viii serve for two years.
The State board II elections viii ap-
| point for each county a county board OF
elections to be composed Of three per
sons.
The county board Of elections win APP
point at each precinct C board of elec-
tons composed Of one registrar and two
p0il-Eolders.
Al vacancies IN the Offices Of re=is-
trar and poll-holder VIII be flied 81 the
county board of elections EXCEPT s1aE
as may occur on election day, t2ese wiLl
| be filed by the precinct board
The most stringent regulations VIII be
| adopted to prevent the registration and
voting of imported negroes or others not
| justly entitled to vote. There VIII be
/ no voting of nOn-residents and convicts.
| Tie burden Of proof viii be shifte5: from
| the challenger to the w0uld-te electCr,
compelling every man who offers to
| register to show that he is a qualified
| elector and actual bona tde resident Of
| the precinct where he would cast his
vote This viii work no hardship to
| the qualified voter but viii effectually
bar the person who is not qualified The
counties along the border where, under
| the present law, negroes from Virginia
and South Carolina have been wont to
come over on election day and vote as
| they would go to Il horse race or dog
| fight will be protected.
The separate ballot viii be adhered to,
the committee not deeming the blanket
The ballots will lie Of uniform size, col
or and weight and will be entirely de-
void of device. These details will be
left to the State Board of Elections
which will prescribe the ballot to be
| used; the ballot itself being furnished
rs heretofore by the parties or candi-
dates.
Separate boxes bearing the names of
the candidates will be provided and the
voter will be allowed to put his ballot
in the box for himself though he may,
if he so desires, ask the election officers
to deposit the ballot for him. All ballots
dspOsited in the wrong box will be
thrown out as under the present law
THE State Board of Canvassers will be
composed of the State Board of Elec-
tiOns together with the Governor and
Secretary of State.
These are the outlines Of the law as
decided upon at the meeting last night by
the subcommittee composed of Senator
Glenn, chairman of the Senate commit
tee on Election Laws, Representative
Stubbs.s chairman of the similar House
committee and Representative Francis
ID. Winston.
IL HAtlIdA AtlAssf llt ldN lue Gulluillle nHS
followed the election law embodied in
the Code as amended i'll 1885 and 1889.
making it the basis of the new law. 1t
was Of course, necessary to so change
the old law as TO adapt it to the new
mittee with the help OF State Chairman
officers as set forth above Thesub-com-
Simmons: who has studied widely the
suffrage laws of the various States. has
officers as set forth above The suh-com-
been going over the proposed
new law point by point. and il
is expected that to-day or tonight the
committee will begin to frame the law
preparatory to submitting it to the full
committee not later than the approach
ing week, with a view of getting Il be-
fore the caucus as early as possible. A
member of the committee said last night
that the committee were agreed that
all possible speed should be made com
patible with care in the framing OF the
bill
He also said that many knotty proh-
lens had arisen in the course of the nre-
liminary discussion, some OF them prac.
tically unsolvoble, but that the commit.
tee believe the law as sketched out would
prove to he acceptable TO tho qualified
voter and effective against others.
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An ounce OF hint is often worth moro
than pound of ndVfap