The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1901-10-25
TEST OF THE NEW BALLOT
LAW.

The general election will be held one
week from next Tuesday, and in that
time the main work of the campaign has
to be done. This election will be the first
real test of the ballot adopted by the
Legislature at the extra session. Three
municipal elections have been held under
the new law-those in Baltimore, Fred
erick and Annapolis last spring. But at
those elections the number of names on
the ballot was so small that it cannot be
called test of the ballot which will con-
tain the names Of sixty candidates that
will be used at the election in Baltimore
on November ). The form Of the ballot is
perfectly simple, but it would be well for
voters to become familiar with the names
of the candidates and the method of
marking before they go into the booths on
election day. 1t will be recalled that on
the first election at which the Australian
ballot was used many voters with educa-
ton and intelligence found difficulty in
making the proper marks, and as con-
sequence many votes were thrown out.
1t has been the custom of the Election
Supervisors heretofore to publish befc1e
the election the ticket in the newspapers
in something like the form of the official
ballot. This is especially needful this year.
1t has already been done in Montgomery
county. and sample ballots have been
distributed by two of the Rockville papers
in the form of a supplement. This will
be very helpful to the yoters-the educat-
ed as well as the illiteratc-especiaily as
the time in which a booth, when all are
full, can be occuo ped by a voter is limited.
The new Election law differs in one
respect materially from the one which
was repealed at the extra session. The
latter law permitted great latitude in
marking and counting, the design being
to respect the apparent intent OF the
voter. The new law is far more strict.
II the ballot is not marked as the law
requires it is rejected. The cross mark
must be made within the appropriate
square, and if more names are marked
than there are persons to be elected to
an office, or if there be any mark on the
ballot other than the cross mark in a
square opposite the name of a candidate,
then the entire ballot is to be rejected.
One Of the most probable effects of the
new law will be great delay in comp
letting the count 1t may take all night
long and 60 into the next day. A CORES
pendent Of The Sun suggests. method
which, in his opinion, would facilitate the
count. He proposes the placing of a
cardboard with certain marks on it upon
the face of the ballot as it is taken from
the box, which, he says, will disclose
at a glance whether it is a "straight'
party ticket, and then, he says, it can be
counted by single tally. But this idea
seems to be in conflict with the law, which
requires that Judge shall call out each
name and the office for which it is desig
mated : = = and the clerks making tally
of the same"
The ballot in the new form requires a
certain degree Of intelligence to use, and
it is likely that it has already had the
effect of starting many old boys to school
who, but for its passage, might have rank
ed as illiterates at the election.-fhe
Baltimore Sun