Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1901-10-31
Personal Registration in our
Cities.

acted in Pennsylvania requiring per-
sonal registration OF voters makes IN
teresting a comparison of the election
methods in this State and those OF
New York and other States IN which
personal registration is operative. New
York has a registration law, and SO
also hes Massachusetts, and several OF
the w stern States. From all accounts
its adoption has proven beyond doubt
the desirability of personal registration
as feature of the election laws.
While the proposed Amendment to
the Constitution of Pennsylvania will
not work any immediate change in the
laws. it will allow the Legislature IN
the future to enact an adequate per-
sonal registration law which will make
registration frauds difficult if not en-
tirely impossible.
Ansley Wilcox, at whose home IN
Buffalo Theodore Roosevelt had ad-
r,inistered to him the oath of Office as
President of the United States, IN writ
ing Of the operation of the personal re-
gistration law in New York says Il
know something about the history and
effect of our State laws requiring per
sonal registration and / know that these
have had a very good effect, largely
tending to repress fraudulent registra-
ton. colonization of voters and similar
crooked election work in our large
cities.
In New York, the registry lists are
compiled by officers appointed by the
Police Commissioners. In each pre-
cinct there are four registration officers,
wLo are also inspectors of elections
Not more than two can belong TO the
same political party. In Chicago, the
Board of Election Commissioners select
three persons for each election division
who serve as registering officers and
Judges of elections. They cannot all
belong to the same party; they must be
householders, citizens OF the United
States, able to read and write Engilsh,
skilled in the four fundamental rules OF
arithmetic, of good understanding and
capable, and they cannot Eold any other
Office, national, state or local. In Bos-
ton there is Board of Registrars, con-
sisting of the City Clerk and three other
persons, appointed by the Mayor, with
the consent of the alderman; not more
than two members of the Board caa be-
long to the same party. This board ap-
points for each ward four assistant reg
istrars, who cannot all be of the same
party. In Philadelphia the registra-
ton officers. called assessors, are elected
one for each division; there is no educa-
tional qualification and each assessor
necessarily belongs TO the dominant
party in his division
In New York The boundaries of all
election precincts and the location OF
the places Of registration and revision
are publicly advertised and can be
found in au official publication The
City Record" In Chicago the Board
of Election Commissioners must adver-
tise the registration and print the COM
pleted register, arranged by streets and
numbers, to meet all demands. Upon
application a copy is given to any
resident. In Boston lists are prepared
for every precinct, giving each building
in the city which is used as residence
in the order in which it stands
the names, ages, and the occupations of
the persons residing in it, on the first
day of May, who have been assessed for
a poll tax These lists are printed in
pamphlet form for public distribution.
In Philadelphia there is no publication
Of the registration lists or of division
boundaries for general distribution.
The list for each division is to be found |
before elections on the door Of the vot
ing place, or in the case Of a temporary
polling booth. at the assessors house, |
but there is no ready way of finding ont
where the voting place is or what are
the boundaries of the division.
In New York the registration begins |
four weeks. in Chicago five weeks and |
in Boston nine weeks before election. |
In all of these cities the lists can be |
corrected up to within two weeks of
the day of voting In Philadelphia the |
lists for the November election are
made nearly six months in advance, |
and the day for correction in the case
of both the November and the Febru
airy elections is two months before cleo
ton day.
In New York the registering boards
sit four days, each Of which, except
the first, is day revision. Electors
must appear personally before the |
boards The same is true for Chicago,
except that the last session is solely for |
revision In Boston the registry list is |
based upon that Of the poll tax assessors |
who make house to house visitation, |
but no name can go upon the registry |
list unless it appears upon the voting |
for the previous year, or the bearer of |
the name personally appears before a |
registration board and proves his quail |
fcations, which include his ability to |
read and write In all of the above |
cities the revision Of the lists is guarded
with scrupulous care and is made by
boards, the members of which belong
to different parties. These boards are
also furnished with thenames ofpersons
deceased since the last election
In Philadelphia the revision Of lists |
is conducted by the same persons who |
prepared them. Each list is corr ected |
by one man. There is no provision for |
him as TO the names of per-
sons who have died in his division As |
an illustration of the character of the |
registration lists it may |
be noted that before the November |
election of one year about 5000 names |
were struck from the assessors lists,
merely as matter of mutual agree
ment between party leaders One of
the names registered happened to be |
that of pug dog
Il is idle to pursuade men to express |
certain opinions at the polls if illegal |
voting and dishonest counting be au |
easy matter Honest men may differ |
as to the wisdom of supporting one
party or the other. There are many |
things which touch politics, or are
+ouohod Nv r,o1itica in rao,ard IN v,,b;cb |