The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-08-15
RIGHTS OF AN ELECT0R.
Attorney General Expresses Further
Opinion About Primary Law.

Attorney General Douglas recent.
gave an opinion as to the rights of al
elector to vote at the primary election
for the candidacy of party othe
than the one he was affiliated with a
the last election. In answer to al
inquiry from James Martin, chairman
of the Republican committee, the at
terney general yesterday modified, Of
as he expressed it, .."made more clear
the rights of the ELECTORS to vote fol
the Republican candidates.
The latest opinion of the attorney
general is that person who voted fol-
the Democratic candidate for governor
and congressman. but who supported
all or substantially all the other candi-
dates on the Republican ticket, is en-
titled to receive and vote the Republi-
can ballot at the primary.
The opinion of the attorney general
sent to Chairman Martin was as fol-
lows.
"You inquire specifically as to
whether a person who voted for a
Democratic candidate for governor
land also possibly for congress) at tt g
last general election, but who affiliated
with and supported all or substantially
all of the other candidates of the Re-
publican party upon the state and
national ticket, is entitled to receive
and vote the Republican ballot at the
coming primary election.
Replying, 1 have to say that, my
Judgment, under such circumstances
the elector is entitled to receive Re-
publican ballot and participate in
nominating the candidates..of the Re-
publican party, provided, of course,
such voter states that he proposed to
affiliate at the next general election
with the Republican party.
SIN other words, if person asserts
at the primary election that he in
tends to affiliate with the Republican
party at the ensuing election and de-
clares that he affiliated with the Re-
publican party and generally support
ed Ito use the language Of the statute)
it's candidate at the last general cleo
tion, he is entitled to receive the
party ballot.
SIN doubtful case, am inclined
to the view that such an elector may
vote the ballot of any party with
which he has heretofore affiliated,
provided he supported majority of
it's candidates at the last general
and asserts that he intends to
affiliate with such party at the ensu
ing general election.
There have been so many inquiries
from county auditors and politicians
as to the last day for filing nomina-
tions for the primary election ballots
that Attorney General Douglas has
an opinion on the subject.
According tc the opinion of the at
torney general, candidates will have
until and including Aug. 81 to file
In reaching his decision
Mr.. Douglas says he has followed the
statutory rule as laid down by the last
decision of the supreme court in the
sixty-frst Minnesota reports. The con-
fusion as to whether Aug. 26. was
the last day for filing nominations,
the attorney general says, has been
due largely to decisions of the su-
prems court as found in the twenty
fifth and thirty-ninth Minnesota re-
ports After a careful examination of
the last decision of the supreme court
and the election law, the attorney
general has decided that Aug. 81 is
the last day for fling and will SO
notify the county auditors in an official