Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1902-05-31
THE STEVENS BILL.
the Legislature Fought
for Months.

| BlLl-To abolish political caucuSes and
conventions and provide for political
! nominations by direct vote.
| The people of the state of Wisconsin, repre-
scented in Senate and Assembly, do enact
Section 1. All statutes pertaining to po-
nticaI eau Gaucuses ana conventions for the
! this act are hereby repealed.
section 2 Hereafter, all candidates to
! be voted for by the people, except those
| for judicial, village, township or school dis
| trict offices, or at special elections to I'LL
vacancies, shall be nominated either at
primary election, held in accordance with
this act, or by petition in accordance with
subdivision of section 80, OF the statutes
| of 1898.
! Section g. Primary elections shall be held
at the regular polling place in each election
/ precinct in this state, on the first Tuesday
| in September, 1902, and biennially there
| after for the purpose of nominating candi-
election, and shall likewise be held for
! the purpose of nominating candidates to be
| voted for at any other than a general cleo
! ton, at least three weeks before the date
! of holding such election.
Section 4. On or before sixty days prior
| to the holding of any such primary election,
| the secretary of state shall make out and
/ transmit notice thereof in writing, to
each county, town, village and city clerk,
and designate therein the offices for which
candidates for nomination are to be voted
| for at such election. Upon receipt of such
notice, each county clerk shall forthwith
| publish so much thereof as may be apple
| able to his county, in newspaper OF gen
| eral circulation published therein, in the in
! terests of each political party, and each
| town, village and city clerk shall forthwith
cause notice of the holding of such election
! to be posted in three public places in each
election precinct in his town, village or
! city, as required by section % of the stat
! utes of 1898. Each county clerk on the
| first Monday of June, 1902, and biennially
| thereafter, shall transmit to the secretary
| of state the name and postofice address of
each town, city and village clerk in his
county. In the case of city election, the
city clerk shall make one publication of
the notice in a newspaper of general cir
culation published in the interests of each
! political party therein, and cause notice to
be posted in three public places in each
| election precinct therein, such publication
and posting to be at least six weeks before
any such primary election.
! Section D. The name of no candidate shall
| be printed upon an official ballot at any
| primary election unless at least forty days
prior thereto there be filed in his behalf a
nomination paper, stating his name, resi-
dence, with street and number, If any, the
once Tor which he is candidate, the party
| he proposes TO represent and no other.
Such paper shall in all cases be signed by
| at least two per cent. q per cent? of the
voters of the party named and proposed TO
/ be represented therein, resident in The
! state, the political subdivision thereof
| the case may be, in which such person
is proposed as candidate In case of can
didates for state offices, the electors signing
| shall be distributed over and reside in at
| least twelve Q2) counties of the state: in
| case of candidates for Congress the electors
| signing shall be distributed over and reside
| in at least one-ifth do of the election
precincts in at least one-half ~ of the
counties in that congressional district: in
case of candidates for the state Senate or
/ the Assembly, the electors signing shall be
distributed over and reside In at least one
fifth Go of the election precincts in each
such district, and in case such district is
| not wholly within one county, the electors
signing shall be distributed over and re-
J side in at least one-ffth 90 of the election
! precincts of each county. or that portion
| thereof in so of
! dates for county and city offices, the elect
| ors signing shall be distributed over and
reside in at least ope-fifth DO of the cleo
ton precincts of such county or city, and
shall constitute at least per cent. q per
! cent? of the voters of such party resident
! in each such county or voting precinct, as
| the case may be. The basis of such per-
centage in each case shall be the vote of
| the party for the presidential elector re
/ celying the largest vote at the preceding
presidential election. Provided that any
J political organization. which, at the preced
/ official ballot by individual nominees only
may have a primary election ballot, a
political party, if any of its said individual
nominees received 1 per cent. of the total
state vote cast at such preceding general
/ election.
! Sec. 6. Each signer to a nomination paper
shall add to his signature, his business and
| residence, with street and number, If any,
declare in such nomination paper that he
! is member of the political party named
therein, and shall sign for but one nomna-
ton to the same office. All signers on the
same nomination paper shall reside in the
same precinct. The affidavit of a qualified
elector of the precinct in which any such
signers reside, shall be appended to each
nomination paper, stating that he is person
| ally acquainted with all the persons who
| have signed the same; that he knows them
TO be electors of the precinct, and that their
! residence and business truly stated
| therein Such affidavit shall not be made
| by the candidate, but each candidate shall
| file with his nomination papers a declara-
ton that he is member of the party
III ny1d oh
officer if nominated and elected.
| Sec. Z. All nomination papers pertaining to
state officers, members of Congress, state
! Senate or Assembly, shall be filed in the
! office of the secretary of state; to county
| officers, in the Office of the county clerk;
to city officers, in the office Of the city
clerk.
Sec. 8. At least five weeks before any
primary election preceding general cleo.
| ton, the secretary of state shall transmit
to each county clerk list containing the
name postoffice address and occupation of
each person entitled to be voted for as a
candidate in his county, at the ensuing
primary election, together with designa-
ton of the office and the party, for which
| he is a candidate. Said clerk shall before
the thirtieth day preceding the election,
| publish a complete list of all candidates to
be voted for in the county for whom nomi-
nation papers have been duly filed, giving
! the name, address and occupation of each,
under the title of the office for which he is
candidate. The list of candidates of
| each party shall be published in one news,
paper of general circulation, of the county,
| representing such party, once each week
| until the primary election. The notice shall
| contain the name of the party in large type.
the date of the election, the hours during
| which the polls will be open, and that the
election will be held in the regular polling
booths The county clerk shall forthwith
| mail a copy of the notice to each town,
| village and city clerk of his county, who
| SHALL Immediately upon receipts Of such
notice, post copies of the notice in at least
! three public places In each precinct OF his
| town, village or city.
Sec. o. So far as applicable and not 9TH
erwise provided herein, the provisions OF
| primary elections held to nominate candi-
dates for any city Office, provided, that
! nomination papers shall be filed at least
| fifteen q0 days. the list of candidates
posted and published at least ten 10) days,
| and the official ballots printed at least
| three 90 days before the date OF holding
| such primary election.
! Sec. 10. In any case where the publica-
| ton of notice cannot be made as here
| inbefore required, it may be so made In any
| newspaper having a general circulation in
| the county or city in which the notice is
| required to be published.
| Sec. II. On or before the twenty-ffth
| day before any primary election preceding
| a general election, each county clerk shall
prepare a sample official primary election
| ballot for each party. placing thereon the
names of all candidates to be voted for in any
| precinct of his county, for whom nominal
ton papers have been duly fled He shall
| submit the ballot of each party to the
| county chairman thereof. and mall a copy
| to each candidate whose name appears
| thereon, at his address given in the nomna-
| ton paper, and shall post in conspicuous
| place in his office a copy of such ballot for
| each party. On the tenth day preceding
| said primary election, the county clerk shall
| correct any errors or omissions in the ballot
| to make it conform to the provisions of this
| act, cause the same to be printed and dis
! tributed, required in the case of ballots
| at any general election, except that the
| number thereof shall be for each party