The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-11-12
SPOILED BALLOTS.
There Were a Great Many in Kansas
This Year.

1t seems probable that several thou
sand defective ballots were thrown
out in Kansas last Tuesday and not
counted, notwithstanding the great
number of warnings that were pub-
lished concerning the way to vote
| Many voters scratched this year who
had never scratched a ballot De1ore,
and they were not used to it.
There is no way of accurately tell
ing how many such ballots were
thrown out. There may or may not
have been as many as there were two
years ago, when the number is esti-
mated to havevbeen- upwards of 10000.
but there were a good many. The
Parsons Sun says there were LOG de-
fective ballots in that town alone, and
so more in a single township. In To-
peka the estimate is 500.
Two years ago it was the PopuliSts
and Democrats who lost their votes
because of the squares after no noml-
nation" This year it seems likely that
a large number of the defective bal
lots were those of Republicans, who
would not vote for some of the men
on the Republican ticket, but who
were not used to scratching.
Probably the most prolific source of
spoiled ballots was where the voter
placed cross in the circle for
straight ballot and then went over
into some other column and voted for
a single candidate, or perhaps made a
cross after a candidate on the ticket
which he had voted straight, simply
by way of emphasis. Either of these
things, under the Kansas law, invali-
dates the whole ballot.
Still others made mistakes in mark
ing their ballots, but instead of get
ting new ballots they attempted to
erase the wrong marks they had
made. This invalidates the ballot.
Another manner in which ballots
were spoiled was by the voters mark
ing cross after the names of the
presidential and vice presidential candi-
1ra no ffnr I1a
names of the candidates for president
and vice president, but some voters
made crosses after their names simply
to emphasize their votes and making
sure of voting for the men of their
choice. The result was only to spoil
the entire ballot
Then there We're some, of course,
who would vote for two men for the
same office, but these were not numer-
Gus. In the counties along the Mis-
souri, line and others where people from
Missouri were voting for the first time
in Kansas, it was not uncommon to
find ballots spoiled by having all the
tickets crossed out except the one
which the voter intended to vote. That
is the way it is done over in Missouri,
but it spoils the ballot to make such
marks on a ticket in Kansas.
1t is believed that many of the bal
lots which were thrown out were
against T. T. Kelly. More scratching
candidate, and if all the ballots had
been counted in which the intention of
the voter was plainly shown, kelly's
majority would be greatly reduced,
w. Y Morgan, who is now a real
Hon" from Reno county, was in To-
peka Friday. He stopped off here
while passing through to see w. K.
Stubs. He wants to urge Stubs to
take the speakership of the house In
the coming legislature.
Il think Mr.. Stubs ought to accept
the speakership,' said Mr.. Morgan. Il
think he will do so. 1 urged it upon
him before the election and L want to
talk to him about it again now. Stubbs
wants to see the pledges of the Repu5-
lican platform carried out, and he can
do more towards it as speaker than
anywhere else. He started this move
ment and it is up to him to see it
through
Mr.. Morgan says that he came nearer
being defeated than he thought he
would be. He says if it hadn't been
for his Democratic friends he would
probably have failed of election, al
though Stubs and Hoch did all they
could to get him votes.