The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-11-06
CAST BALLOTS ON
EIGHT MACHINES
VOTERS IN SOME PRECINCTS
LEAN TO THE NEW METHOD.
Largest Precinct In the City in Point
Of Number Of Registered Voters Is
Showing Marked Preference to Ma
chimes and Losing No Time.

Eight voting machines are in use to.
day-six United States Standard, 5one
International and one Dean. AS a gen
eral thing, the machines gave satisfac.
ton whenever the voters had time to
wait until their turn came. In some
precincts the voters did not ask for
ballots. ..a =
This was notably true In the ninth
precinct of the second ward, where a
Standard machine is used. This is the
hlargest DIST district in the city, 6ol voters
today 140 had been voted and there
We're 50 men in line. The booths and
ballots were there, but the men stood
patiently in line. The average time
was l n minutes, and one man made the
phenomenal record of eight seconds. It
is not likely that he voted the entire
ticket with amendments and bond is
sues.
In! the fifth district of the fourth
ward, which votes at the Holden street
engine house, there were no booths, and
ton officials declared everything was
satisfactory. But in other districts
the election officials are trying to dis
credit the machines and often urge
the voters to use the ballots.
AOSGou b11o IMdCu1u6S.
In the ninth precinct Of the fifth
ward there was more desire shown to
use the voting machine, an Interna-
tional, than at the primary election.
At that time voters had not the leisure
to experiment, but today there was a
determination to try it. The result was
that while voters came and used old.
style ballots and departed, half dozen
men waita6 fo, tho uotip olsxo
One man had been at it For twenty
minutes. A prominent Chamber OF
Commerce man was waiting. GIVE
got all day. he said, 'and 1 am going
to try that machine if. I have to wait
until noon for it,
There was heavy vote cast by IL
O'Clock in the precinct-h the
clerks thought, than ever before up to
that hour.
The Dean machine was used in the
first district Of the sixth ward, which
the primary election. At that time the
vote was taken without difficulty, to
the complete, satisfaction Of the Judges
and the electors. <
Lost Their Votes.
A number of electors lost their vote
today by moving into another precinct
AFTER having registered in the precinct
from which they had moved. Early
today, City Clerk L. A.. Lydiard re-
ceived calls from several Judges who
were in doubt as to the qualifications
for voter, to instruct them on this
point. Attorney General E. T. Young
has repeatedly. ruled that a voter who
moves from his district within thirty
days of the election day cannot vote
anywhere--either in the old district
or the new. Mr.. Lydiard, therefore,
instructed the judges to that effect,
altho it is contrary to the opinions Of
both County Attorney Al r. Smith and
City Attorney Frank Healy.
Another question raised was the le-
gality of the use of booths in precincts
in which voting machines had been in
stalled. This question was passed upon
by the supreme court in the Elwell-
Comstock contest, in which it was held
that both systems could be used in the
same precinct.
In the tenth district of the ninth
ward some labor union men refused to
use the voting machine on the ground
that it was made by non-union labor,
and they demanded an opportunity to
vote with ballots. After comforting
with the city clerk, the judges handed
out ballots to any who asked for them.