The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1902-03-07
PROPOSED PRIMARY ELECTION
LAW

PROPOSED PRIMARY ELECTION
LAW.
Senator Robinson has introduced
a primary election law which is de-
signed to fulfill the pied e made in
the Democratic State platform last
year. He SAYS that he thinks the
bill meets fairly everything which can
be done to secure fair and free primary
elections and does not believe that
the House of Delegates will reject it.
The bill provides that the primary
elections shall be conducted by the
regular officials appointed to conduct
the general elections and with every
safeguard around them which is
provided for the general elections.
The primaries of all parties are to
be held at the same time and place,
and the voting shall be from the Of
fetal books ofregistration. Political
parties which at the general election
on November 5th, 1901, pol'ed ten
per cent. of the entire vote cast in the
State shall hereafter nominate their
candidates for public office by means
of primary elections conducted under
the provisions of this act, and not
otherwise, and the supervisors of
elections shall not print on the official
ballots the names of any candidates
who shall not be so nominated or
whose nomination shall not be certi-
fed to them by the Secretary of the
State as having been so nominated.
Candidates may be nominated by
the direct vote of the duly registered
voters or by what is known as the
convention system; the delegates to
be chosen in the same manner as if
they were candidates. All primaries
are to be held on such day as shall be
agreed upon between the governing
parties of the different political
parties not earlier than the second
Thursday in June or later than the
third Thursday in September i'll each
year. The day for holding such
primaries need not be the same in the
State for the several counties. The
boards of supervisors ofelection shall
give notice of the day ofsuch primar-
les, the same as is given for county
elections, and they shall be conducted
under the direction and control of
the several boards of supervisors of
elections by judges and clerks ap-
pointed by them.
The place shall be opened and closed
at the same hour as the regular
election. Persons arriving at the
age of twenty-one years after the
closing of the next preceding registra-
tion entitled to beregistered as quail
fed voters, shall be entitled to vote
upon proofto the majority of the
judges of their right. Official ballots
shall be prepared for such primary
elections and the boards of super
visors of elections shall print on them
the names of all candidates for nomi-
nation and the names ofall delegates
ofany nominating convention, who
have been qualified upon payment of
the amount required by each, and
shall have complied with certain
regulations. All such certificates
must be filed not later than fifteen
days before the day of said primary
election. 1t will not be necessary to
have sample ballots or cards of in
structions.
Each candidate for nomination at
a primary election shall pay the sum
of $25 and each delegate to a nomi-
mating convention shall pay the sum
Oslo. With this exception the ex-
pense of Holding said elections are to
be paid by the County Commission
ers precisely as the expenses of the
county elections are now paid under
the existing law. Ballots shall be
cast, counted and canvassed and the
result of the election announced and
certified the same as is now done at
general elections. Challengers and
watchers are allowed in the different |
polling places.
AS many different sets of official |
ballots shall be printed and supplied
at each polling place and as many
ballot boxes shall be used as there
are separate party nominations to be
voted for; and to prevent a voter
from casting his ballot for any other
party than the one for which he in
tends to vote, the ballot shall be
printed on paper of different colors,
Every person offering to vote shall
be required to state to what party
he belongs and which party candi-
dates he intends to vote for and he
shall be supplied with only one ticket