Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-11-20
SECRET BALLOT
BILL IS PASSED
House Passes Bill Provid-
ing For Secret Ballot in
Every Election and
Primary.

Several new bills were introduced by
unanimous consent. House bill No, II, by
,, Mr.. Kelly, of Glascock, had been made
/ the special order of the day and was at
once taken up and read for the third time.
The caption of the bill was as follows:
"a bill to be entitled an act to revise
the election laws of this state; to pre-
scribe the manner in which electors shall
vote in all elections, whether state or ma
| tiOnal, county or municipal, and upon all
| questions submitted to electors; to provide
that the ordinary in each county in this
state shall be ex-off1cio superintendent of
elections in each county in this state, and
for the appointment for such electors; to
| prescribe the duties of election superin-
| tendents and election managers; to pre-
scribe where electors shall vote, and how
ballots shall be prepared and cast; and
to punish fraud and crime committed
| in reference to elections; and to provide
for count and consolidation of the vote.
I and for other purposes"
The bill was a very long one and con-
tanned many radical changes to the pres
| ent election laws Of the state. Owing to
its Importance, Mr.. Hall moved that the
| house resolve itself into a committee of
| the whole house in order that II might
| discuss the act section by section and re-
port back to the house. This motion pre-
vailed and Mr.. Fielder. Of Bib. was Sc
lected as chairman of the committee of
the whole house.
The bill was then taken up section by
| section, for discussion by the committee.
| Several amendments were offered to the
! sections of the bill.
The first section Of the bill provided for
| the oath to be taken by the election SUI
perintendent. Mr.. Dunbar, of Richmond,
moved to amend by adding that the pro-
visions Of the bin should be made appli-
cable to all elections primary elections
~.,Vrr l.1 ,a~a+ o~~f
mously adopted by the members.
Section 2 was the most important sec
tioon of the entire bill and provided that
every election held in this state should
be held by the Australian, or secret, bal
lot. In most Of the county precincts and
smaller towns and villages. ballots are
cast as they have always been, but the
bill provides that in every voting place,
every election shall be held by a secret
ballot, so that there can be no possible
way for any man to know how his neigh
Dor votes.
Sections 3, 4. Is, and 7 provide the kind
and number Of ballots 20 be used and %
be furnished to the election superinten-
dents.
Section provides penalty for any per-
son who shall deliver ballots TO any one
save the election managers, while section
9 provides for the regulation secret booth
in which voters shall prepare their bal
lots.
Section 10 provides an oath for election
managers, clerks and superintendent, and
section IL provides for the kind OF ballot
boxes to be used in these secret elections.
Section II provides how voters shall en-
ter the voting room, announce his name
and receive his ballot, returning to a
booth to prepare his ballot while section
Is provides that no voter may remain in
a booth for more than five minutes while
In he rat On of
Sections IA and Is provide that If an cleo
tor ruins or defaces his ballot he may Sc
cure another one by surrendering his de-
faced ballot; or in case of his inability
to read he can call upon a manager to aid
him In the preparation of his ballot before
he casts It.
Section Is provides that any one who
claims to be unable to read and who thus
| secures the aid of an election manager in
the preparation of the ballot, but who can
read, shall be guilty Of a felony, punish
able by imprisonment for five years
Section II provides that a person with
out hands may have his ballot prepared
by an election manager. Section IS pro-
vides that three lists of voters must be
kept. and that the number of each voter
shall be marked off when his ballot shall
have been cast.
Sections 10 and 20 provide for the po-
Icing of the polling places on election
day, while section Il provides for the
counting of the votes and section % for
the consolidation of the county vote.
Section q provides that any officer
manager, clerk or other person upon
whom a duty is imposed, neglects or fails
to perform such duty shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor, and section "A is the re-
pealing clause.
Many amendments were offered to The
bill, the most important of which was the
amendment to make the bill applicable in
all primary elections, for which the pres
ent laws are not very stringent.
An effort to disfranchise the negro was
the bomb-shell which was dropped by Mr..
H. M. Franklin, Of Washington, who, in
supporting an amendment which would
do away with section Is of the bill, said
that If that section was stricken from the
act 1t would totally disfranchise the negro.
The attempt to strike the amendment
was lost, and the section retained in the
act.
After adopting the bill section by sec
ton, the COMMITTEE of the whole house
upon motion of Mr.. Kelly, Of Glascock,
reported the bill favorably to the house,
with the recommendation that 1t be
passed as amended, and at 12.M the com
mittee of the whole house dissolved and
the house reassembled with Speaker Nor
ris in the chair.
As there are many elections to occur
y
year, and as an act of the legislature
takes effect Immediately, upon motion of
Mr. Slaton, Of Fulton, a section to be
added at the end of the bill, was adopted
by the house which provides that the act
shall take effect on July 1, 1903. This was
done because, it was thought to be impos-
sible to have the private booths erected
and to have the election managers learn
the provisions of the new act before the
next municipal and county elections in
several counties of the state, which win
occur within a short time.
Mr.. West, of LOwndes, said that the bill
had been forced upon the general assem-
bly, too hurriedly and they had not been
given sufficient time to consider it. He,
therefore, moved to table the bill and Mr..
Hall called for the aye and nay vote on
the question, and the call for the aye and
nay vote was sustained by the house.
The house refused to table the bill, the
vote being 70 to 45.
Mr. Jones, of Dougherty, called for pre-
vious question, and the main question was
ordered.
Mr. Flynt. as chairman of the commit