Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-05-24

| place where all the caucuses and con-
ventions will be held. IN towns where
| no newspapers are published, this no
tice shall be posted in at least three
!. public places at least ten days before
I the day Of holding such caucus. This
| notice should specify the oIices, if any,
| for which candidates are to be selected
and the number Of delegates to be
| elected.
| 5. To call meetings of the county
committee.
| 4. To select five members of the ex-
| ecutive committee.
| Conduct of the Caucus.
| l. The officers Of the caucus shall
| consist of a chairman, a secretary and
| two tellers.
| 2. The chairman of the town COM
/ caucus. If he is not present at the
| opening of the caucus, or of there is no
| such chairman, the electors then pres
| ent shall elect a chairman, and also the
| secretary and tellers.
! 8. The chairman and secretary shall
| Immediately take an oath, form for
which will accompany this circular.
4. The chairman and secretary shall
provide a ballot box, or other proper
receptacle, for the ballots, and shall,
Immediately after the caucus is organ
! iezd, allow the electors to proceed to
| ballot. The ballot bax must be placed
where it will be in full view of the eau
Gus officers and the electors, and where
each elector can conveniently reach it
when depositing his ballot. The eau
Gus shall be held open and the balloting
allowed to continue for the full time
prescribed in the call for the caucus,
and in all cases, including those where
no time is prescribed, the caucus shall
continue for at least one hour.
5. All voting must be done by bal
lot. The names of the candidates for
office and the delegates must be printed
or written On one ballot of plain white
paper The individual voter must
write his own ballot. If he cannot do
so by reason of his inability to write,
it is fair to presume that the legisla-
ture did not intend to disfranchise
him, hence he may receive assistance
| from one of the caucus officers, al
though a literal Interpretation of the
| law forbids this.
6. Any resident who is duly quail
! fed elector is entitled to vote at
caucus provided he has not already
voted at caucus of any other political
party for candidates to be voted for,
or for delegates to be chosen to con-
vention to nominate candidates to be
voted for at the next ensuing election.
Z. During the continuance of the
caucus an elector is entitled to vote but
once, which renders it necessary that
all the names of candidates and dele
gates for whom he desires to vote be
placed upon the one ballot which he
casts.
8. The voter himself deposits his bal
lot in the box or other receptacle pro-
vided for that purpose.
Canvassing the Vote.
Upon closing the caucus the officers
shall proceed forthwith to count the
ballots. The provisions of the law re-
! quiring majority vote to elect a can
/ didate, or delegate, must be construed
with that portion of the law which
! provides for but one ballot to be cast
| by an elector at the same caucus.
| 1t is therefore evident that the caucus
! officers must declare elected those hay
| ing received the largest number Of
votes although the number received
! may be less than majority. There
! is no provision made for the taking of
a second ballot, which would often be
| necessary to secure a majority vote.
! 1t is clear that the legislature, by re-
striction or omission, did not intend to
! deprive any town, village or ward of
candidates for Office or of it's repre-
sentation in the county convention, es-
pecially as the regulations it prescribes
| for the conduct of such caucus will
often prevent candidate or delegate
from securing the required majority
vote.
Should the ballot contain more dit
ferent names than is apportioned to
the town, village or ward, it cannot be
counted for any person whose name ap-
pears upon it. Should the same name
appear more than once On the same
ballot, it shall be counted. as one bal
lot for such person. Should two or
more ballots be folded together as to
indicate that they were cast by the
same person, all such ballots must be
rejected.
3 Immediately after the canvass of
the votes the chairman and secretary
of the caucus must certify to the chair
man Of the county committee the
names of the delegates so chosen.
Poll List.
/. The secretary of the caucus, with
the aid of an assistant if necessary,
shall make a true and correct list OF the
voters who cast ballots at the caucus,
giving name, and in cities the street
number, and such list shall be filed by
the secretary in the Office of the town,
village or city clerk.
The law makes no provision for prox-
les. The evident intent Of the legis-
lature in the enactment of this statute
is to secure a convention made up Of
delegates selected by the electors of a
political party It requires the names
of the successful delegates to be certi-
fed by the county chairman, and only
those delegates, so certified, are the le-
gal representatives Of their respective
caucus districts, and entitled to vote at
the convention. To allow delegate
so chosen to name a proxy would de-
feat the purpose of the law. No pro-
vision is made whereby any committee
is authorized to name proxy.