The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-06
THE INTELLIGENT VOTER.
He II the Man Who Disfranchises
Himself i'm the Voting Booth.

The man who has had experience on
precinct election board must come to the
conclusion that those who are regarded
as the more intelligent citizens do not ex-
pend much of their intelligence in master
ing the details Of the voting laws of In
diana In a precinct whose voters will
claim that IL is one Of the best on the North
Side, three voters put the X in the square
to the left of the first name on the Repub-
lican ticket. These men doubtless went
away from the polling place with the pleas
ing thought that they had voted the en-
tire ticket. When the vote for county
offices was canvassed seven ballots were
thrown out because those who voted them
had disfranchised themselves by placing
the X in the party circle and then placing
another X before candidate or TWO on
the other ballot. OF those seven ballots
six were Republican and one Democratic.
Ihose ballots were deposited not long De-
lore the polls were closed and when
number OF unusually intelligent men hur-
ried in TO vote. Doubtless the six Repub-
leans desired to be liberal by accepting
ADVICE that an effort should be made by
Republican voters TO divide the judiciary.
or a total of 1S5 ballots for county officers
ana judges cast in the precinct alluded TO
81 were mixed-that is, candidates on both
tickets were voted for. OF those ballots
more than three-fourths were evidently
the ballots of Republicans. The scratch
ing" was of all kinds imaginable. One
democrat placed a mark before every
name on the Democratic side but one, and
the y In that case was placed against the
republican candidate for constable. The
TACT that several voters marked about half
| the candidates for representatives TO the
legislature on each ticket would indicate
that they would have the delegation di-
Elded between two candidates for United
states senator. Two Democrats went to
the trouble to mark every name In the
party ticket except for auditor OF state,
| IN order that they might favor David II.
Sherrick with their votes. One Socialist
DaIiot was found, but the voter was so
sensible as 10 vote for Mr.. Overstreet for
congress. Altogether ii was apparent that
/ az least a dozen voters either DISTINGUISHED
themselves or did not vote as they thought
they were voting in one of the intelligent
/ precincts
An amusing feature of a rather long and
Wearlsome day with election officers was
the appearance Of young man from North
indianapolis at o'clock in the evening,
VINO announced that he had been selected
by the Prohibition committee to watch the
counting of the votes. He was admitted.
and for four long weary hours watched
the canvassing of several hundred ballots
| 10 see that the three ballots which bore a
part or the names of the Prohibition can
dldateS were not stolen TO defeat the aims
or the party which he represented.
strange as 1t may appear, the man who
might be classed as the rather ignorant
| voter Is not the one who is likely to make
mistakes in marking his ballot. 1t is the
man confident in his intelligence that he
knows 1t all who disfranchises himself.