The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-08-26
primary ELECTION LAW IN BRIEF.

Two years ago The Free Press pub
lished the primary election law in full.
There have been no important amend
ments made to the law since its enact
ment, and the following synopsis will
no doubt suffice to give the voters a
clear understanding of the law:
All who vote at the, primaries will be
registered and so entitled to vote at
the ensuing election.
At the primaries candidates shall be
chosen for all offices to be voted for at
the ensuing election except state Of
fcers. This includes jim the primary
lists judges, congressman, members of
the legislature and county officers. Any
political party has the right to have it's
separate ticket for its candidates, that
at the next preceding general election
cast at least ten per cent of the total
vote "for its leading candidate" or that
will file with the county auditor a Pc
tition asking for the right and signed
by ten per cent of the qualified electors
in the county. Also the right of any
individual to have his name put on the
general election ticket by petition, as
under the old law, is preserved, but this
cannot be done by any candidate who
was defeated at the primary election.
On September 9th the fourteenth day
before the primary, the county auditor
of each county shall make out a sample
ballot for each party and post them
prominently in his office for public in
spection and shall publish each separ-
ate ballot once each week for two weeks
in the official county paper. The bal
lots shall be white with black ink, in
form and appearance like the Australian
ballot, now in use in this state, but
with the names of the candidates print
ed in two columns. They are marked
by the voter with cross (X) just as at
other elections and at the top of each
ballot is the name of the party in large,
black letters. The offices to be voted
for shall be placed on the ballot as fol-
lows: First, judicial next, congress;
next, legislative; next, county.
On the sample ballot the names of
the candidates under each office in each
party are to be arranged alphabetically.
In printing the ballots the order of the
candidates under each office is to be
changed so that each candidates name
shall come first on as nearly as possible
an equal number of ballots, and the bal
lots are to be arranged in packages OF
pads with reference to this rota ton. In
so rotating the names and arranging the
ballots in packages, the office having the
most candidates under it is to be used
in making the changes of position.
The number of ballots printed, the
type used, the guarding of ballots, and
other requirements fixed by the general
election law. No candidate can go on the
ballot of any party except the party to-
which he makes affidavit in his applica
ton that he belongs.
On the day of the primary election
the saloons are forbidden to sell any
liquor during the hours when the polls
are required to be open, that is from
6 a. m. to 9 p. m. and the mayor shall
make proclamation to that effect. 1t
is also forbidden to have liquor in any
polling place and the judges and clerks
are forbidden to bring any spirituous
liquors in the polling place.
The same requirements fixed by the
general election law, are adopted as to
polling places not being in saloons; the
number of polling booths 1.-TWO to each