Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-10-25
STATE HOUSE.
Last Of Ballots to Be
Sent Out, Today.
The Features of the Forthcom-
ing Forestry Report.
Farmers Institutes-Nine New Cor
porations-Department Notes.
STATE HOUSE CALENDAR.
Meeting of Governor and Council,
Tues, Nov. I, at a p. M.

When Mr.. Russell and his crew closed
work for the day, yesterday. only a
, half dozen cities and a dozen towns re-
manned to be supplied with ballots for
the November election. The ballots
fer these will all be sent out today.
and then nothing will remain except tn
clean up the room of the commissioners
of pharmacy, which has been used as a
ballet shipping headquarters. TIL
final cities to which the ballots will be
sent out today are Saco. Portland,
Lewiston. Bangor. Belfast and Calais:
and the only remaining towns are San
ford. kennebunkport, Lisbon. Farm
: ington, Ninalhaven. Waldoboro Rum
ford. Norway, Skowhegan Oronn.
Orneville and Lakeview Plantation.
The work of sending out the ballots
for tho November election has occupied
less than two weeks, while that If
sending out the September election bal
lots occur led about a month. In each
case, a total of about 3fOO 900 ballots are
sont out. supplying 521 cities. towns
and plantations with enough for use on
election day and with duplicate set in
case the first set is lost or proves in
sufficient. This means that 1912 boxes
are sent by express, and some of these
especially to the larger cities. are very
bulky boxes. In the case of the cities.
, the ballots are sent in one box to the
city clerk, with those for each ward in
| packages and plainly marked to be dis
| tributcd ny the city clerk to the Varl-
ouS ward clerks. Although there are
| hut 521 cities. towns ana plantations,
there are. nevertheless. 636 voting pre-
| cinctS in the State. on account Of the
wards in the cities. Only one town in
, tn" State, Cumberland has two voting
precincts, although several others have
| had two precincts at various times. In
the case of the larger towns. as Bruins
wick, Skowhcgan ana Sanford, for in
! stance, the voting has to be pretty live
! " in order that all the citizens may
rot" at a single polling place. Bruins
! wick is the largest town in the state.
| and is the only town with two repre-
! sentativcs in the Legislature.
One trouble with the present basis of
sending out the ballots to the various
| towns and cities in 4 presidential year
, like this, is that the number sent de-
| ponds upon the number of votes cast
| in that particular city or town a the
election of two years earlier. Thus. the
number of ballots sent to each place
this year is based unon the votes cast
at the State election two weeks ago
instead of the presidential election of
four years ago. As light vote was
cast in many places at the off year
gubernatorial election, a town or city
occasionally finds that the number of
votes sent for use at the presidential
election, even when the reserve of the
| duplicate set is brought into use
proves smaller than the number re-
quired. 1t would simplify matters and
prevent any trouble of this kind, if the
number of votes sent in presidential
year were based upon the last presi-
| DENTAL election. rather than upon the
| election of two years before.