The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-10-27
SECRECY OF THE BALLOT.
Workingmen Need Not Fear to Vote
Their Own Way.


Several letters have been received by
the sun within the last - hours from
workingmen which indicate that the trust
employers are up to their old tricks again
Here is sample statement
NV boss says how are YOU going to
vote | says Mckinley (Which AIM .)
lie eyed me a minute aud says We'll,
I'll know it If YOU don't. We keep tab
on you al by that coupon the judge tears
of | have told the boys in my shop
that ir aiu So-that the ballot is secret,
as the law says. VIII you please tell us if
| ain right. 1t will interest every me
chanic in Baltimore. Put the whole bus
iuess plain and straightforward and Wen
act As the Sun says to.
THE BALLOT Is SECRET.
Mr.. William +. Porter, a member of
the Board of Supervisors of Elections, was
questioned upon this point yesterday after
noon. He said
There is no possible way to ascertain
how a man votes unless he states 1t him
self. The law providing for a secret ballot
Is very plain and carefully drawn,
When 4 voter walks into polling place
on election DAY he is asked his name and
address. The judges then look in the
registration books to see that he is proper
ly registered If he is registered the bal
lot clerk takes a ballot from the pile before
him. writes the man name on little slip
or coupon attached to it.and hands him the
ballot The voter then goes into a secret
compartment or booth, where no one can
see him. and he marks his ballot. He
folds 1t with the mark inside, comes out
and hands the ballot to the judge repre-
senting the party in power in the State.
This year, Of course, 1t viii be the Demo
cratic Judge The judge tears off the
coupon or slip hearing the voter name
aud strings i, on a file. The ballot is then
placed in the ballot box.
THE COUPON AND IT'S Use.
MANY persons are puzzled by the cou
pom upon which the name of the voter IS
written. continued Mr. Porter. ''They
imagine their ballots may be traced in that
way, but such is not the case. Each cou-
pom Is numbered but there is no CORE
spending number on the ballot.
when the coupon is torn from the
ballot there is nothing on the ballot to in
dictate who east 1t.
The coupons were devised simply to
prevent repeating. Ii | should vote, for
instance. and the judges neglect to record
me as having voted, the coupon will show
the fact. II another man comes IN later
and wishes 10 vote ON my name the Judges
may look over their books and see that,
apparently, | have not voted But when
they look over the coupons they find that
| have voted But they may search cou
pons. ballots and everything else and can
not learn how | voted, for there is abso-
lutely nothing to distinguish my ballot
from that of any other man. No one can
tell from what ballot any coupon came.
COUPONS ARE DESTROYED.
When the polls are closed the first
thing the judges must do is to destroy the
coupons. 1t is the duty of the Attorney
General of the State to construe the cleo
ton law each year in instructions to election
officials. In his instructions this year
Attorney General Rayner says, with refer
ence to the coupons
:. Before the ballot box is opened all
coupons taken from the bollots cast shall
be destroyed.
g You will perceive here that the cou
ponS are not to be taken from the spoiled,
rejected and not-voted ballots The cou-
pons to be destroyed are the coupons which
have been taken off the ballots which have
been actually placed in the bollot box.
mo one need fear, said Mr. Porter,
s'that the way he votes will become known.
That is a secret that is impossible for any
man to learn. have heard politicians
bewail that fact time and again.
EXTRA PRECAUTIONS THIS YEAR.
1.-The Supervisors of Elections have
taken extra precautions this year to guard
the secrecy of the ballot We will have
them printed on heavier paper than usual
81 that no mark made on the face of the
ballot can be detected by inspecting the
back The pencils to be used are very
soft, aud their marks would not show
through ordinary paper, much less the
heavy paper we will use.
FOUR HOURS IN WHICH TO VOTE.
''There is another fact that the work
ingmen should know The last Legisla-
ture passed a law requiring every employer
to allow his workmen at most four hours
in which to vote This does not include
the dinner hour -
A heavy penalty for violation of the law
is imposed.