The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-04-06
QUEER WORK
AT THE POLLS.
Perry Township People Vote In
Violation of the Statutes.
NOT THE OFFICIAL BALLOT.
Used Slips According to Their Own Notions
and After They Had Been Told by
Member OF the Board
Not to Do 1t.

very serious case of violation of the
election laws has come to light from
Massillon precinct of Perry to Hnship
and If the letter of the statutes is COM
piled with the penalty of the law is liza
BILE to be visited on half the voters of
the precinct.
In this precinct the judges and clerks
of the election thought they knew more
than the election board and their pre-
sumption may cause them to be mulcted
to the tune of fine of from $3.50 to 81, 900
or be imprisoned from one to six months,
or both.
The trouble comes from the election
of supervisors of roads in the precinct
Owing to the system of road supervisors
the ballot is a Title confusing and the
election judges in this precinct conclu-
ded to allow each candidate for super
visor to have his own tickets printed
In little slip like the ballots were be-
fore the official ballot came in. The
county board of elections heard of the
scheme, and Mr.. Schauf went down and
quoted the law to the judges and told
them that they must not allow anything
of the kind. Even after this warning
the judges persisted In permitting the
votes of the separate candidates to be
! cast and counted. They even went so
far as to throw out the regular official
ballots cast and only counted the illegal
ones.
Upon the official ballots Candidate
Stump had 12 votes and he was the only
one voted for on the official ballot. One
of the other candidates who had separ-
ate slips had 81 votes and he was de-
clared elected and his votes counted.
Mr.. Stump came to Canton Wednes-
day morning and laid the case before
Prosecutor Day and Secretary Agler of
the county board of elections. II has
not been decided what will be done.
These officials will confer with Judge
McCarty Wednesday afternoon and it
is probable that meeting of the county
board of elections will be called and the
entire vote of the Masslllon precinct on
road supervisor thrown out and Stumps
vote counted and his election declared.
The election officials who did this job
and who have gotten themselves into a
bad box are as follows: f. l.. Doll,
George Locke, John Yengling, Samuel
Fl. Mauger, clerks, and Albert Stephen
and Horace Fosnaught, judges.
The case is very serious. The law is
straight and strict. 1t provides that no
ballot shall be cast but the one supplied
by the proper officials, prepared accord
ing to the specifications furnished by the
law; 1t must have the endorsement of
the board of elections. Any election off,
cial who gives out any other ballot or al
lows any other to be cast, and any voter
who knowingly votes or tries to vote
any other than the official ballot is to
be deemed guilty of misdemeanor and
fined not less than $3.50 nor more than
$1,000 or imprisoned not less than 80
days nor more than six months, or both.
The law Is strict also in the matter
of the prosecution of offenders. When
the county board of elections hears of
any offense like the present one, 1t is
their duty to place the matter before the
prosecutor and the state supervisor of
elections and to proceed to prosecute
and bring to court all offenders.
In this case 1t would take in the en-
tire board of election judges and clerks
and all who voted the illegal ballots.
The severity of the penalty makes it
very disagreeable task for the election
board to prosecute this case, the matter
at stake being of such trivial imporu-
ance. The officials feel also that the
judges and clerks did not realize the
case fully, and therefore would like to be
lenient, but the law is strict and 1t has
not been decided what action will be
necessary.