The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-28
TOO MANY VOIERS;..
Eighteen Election Districts Over
the Statutory Size.
THE CITY COUNCIL MUST CARVE
AS Few Changes MS Possible VIII
Be Made, Owing to the
Expense.

q .
-Four years ago the city council created
four new election districts and divided up
eone of the old ones among adjoining dis
tr1cts. The present outlook is that at
least as many new districts will have to
be made this summer in preparat ton for
next falls election, and possibly twice
that number. City Clerk Lydiard stated
the situation to the city council last night
and during the next few weeks the alder
men OF tho wards affected will investi-
gate the matter and recommend the need
ed action by the council.
The statute says that whenever any
election district casts more than 400
male votes at one electionfi it shall
be the duty of the city council to cause
such district. at least six weeks before the
next election, to be divided into two or
7 more districts At the last election, ac-
cording to the report submitted last night
BY City Clerk Lydiard, there We're
eighteen districts, contained in seven
wards, that cast more than 400 male votes
each at the 1900 election, and he advised
that the aldermen concerned take the
matter up and be prepared as soon as pos
sible to reccmmend action to the council.
The eighteen districts are as follows:
The seventh and tenth of the second WARD,
fifth, eighth and tenth of the third ward,
tenth and fifteenth of the fourth ward,
ninth, tenth, eleventh twelfth and thir-
teenth Of the fifth ward, the first of the
seventh ward, the ninth. tenth, eleventh
and twelfth of the eighth ward, and the
second of the tenth ward. ~ ~sea.
The. eleventh district of the fifth ward
has the largest number of male voters
sos in 1900. The fifteenth of the fourth
ward and the tenth of the fifth ward come
next In order, with 451 and '449, srespec-
lively.
Needs OF the Case
The sentiment with some of the alder
men is that the vote this fall Will snow
a considerable falling. off from that OF two
years ago, despite the large increase in
population in many districts: and they
take the view that there will be no actual
need of making any new districts before
the next national election. Others, how
ever, believe that. the coming state ana
municipal contest is going to be- warm
enough to bring out.a large vote, and they
hold that in at least some Of the above
districts division should: be made. A
careful study of the conditions would ap-
pear to- Justify this view Of the case;
Surrounded as they are by districts con
tanning almost the statutory number OF
voters, there is little chance for adjust
ing the situation in the big third, fourth,
fifth and eighth wards without creating
new districts. In the other wards affected
undoubtedly neighboring districts can be
used to accommodate the overflow. All OF
the big election districts have been grow
ing fast in population in the past two
years. r
The average expense of conducting a
general election is $3.50 per district ADD
the expense of the primary election and
the total is about $225:.7 Inasmuch as
there were no complaints made at the last
election of lack of opportunity to vote,
even in thealargest districts, it 7iss not
probable that the city council will care to
add extra expense unless the conditions
positively demand it. There are to-day
1879 election districts in the city. Any
where from four to eight additional dis
tricts' would seem to be about what was
called for at this time to meet the
changed conditions. <zas - +4e.s-r