Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1906-02-22
rKE NFw ELrcT1oN LAWS.

Inc 'UnlI0rm frlmaTleS Act pdktcu
by the late extraordinary session" of
the Legislature greatly increases the
duties of the County Commissioners,
who are to prepare and furnish to the
election officers the official ballots for
each party, also all the ballot boxes.
blank books and other supplies; and
who, on the Wednesday following the
primary are to open, tabulate and count
the returns, and make proper cert'fi-
Gates of the results.
The primaries for each district, all
over the state, are to be held at the same
time and places, by the general election
officers, all disputes to be settled under
oath. and all contests to originate ard
bs settled as in the case of elections
the polls are to be open from 2 to P.
IN, and all bars are to be closed from l
to p. m, and all returns tu be filed
with the County Commissioners by noon
of the following Tuesday.
All candidates for Office must petition
the County Commissioners to place
their names upon the official ballot OF
their party-the petitions OF candidates
for Congress. Judge or State Senator to
contain 200 names of qualified electors;
those for county offices and Assembly
to contain 80, and those for delegates
and party offices 10.
The act provides for two primaries.
one to be known as the Winter Prima-
~" and to be held on the fourth Satur-
day before the February election,
which will generally make it fall upon
the last Saturday in January for local
offices; and the other to be known as
the "Spring Primary" to be held the
first Saturday in June, excepting in
Presidential years, when it is to be on
the second Saturday in April. for coun-
ty and state officers, and at which dele
gates to the State and National conven-
tions are to be elected.
Duties are prescribed in the act for
the County Chairmen. State Chsirmen
and Secretary of the Commonwealth,
all of whom are to notify the County
Commissioners of certain things, and
they in turn are to notify the public by
publication.
The ballots will contain the names of
all the candidates and will be voted
with X marks; the County Commission
ers are to pay all expenses, and then
send an itemized account of same to
the Auditor General of the state who is
directed to refund by warrant drawn
upon the State Treasurer.
The candidates who receive plurai-
ty of the votes of any party shall be the
candidates of that party, and the Coun-
ty Commissioners are to certify the vote
for State officers and Congress to tie
Secretary Of the Commonwealth, who
shall tabulate the same and certify the
result to the County Commissioners at
least 40 days before the election. This
seems to throw down the county lines
in heretofore 'conferee districts" an
null our present congressional agree
ment with Westmoreland county, and
State Senatorial understanding with
Armstrong county, and make the nomi-
nations for State Senate and Congress
depend upon the party vote of the dis
tricts as a whole.
The maximum penalties provided for
in this act and in the Roberts Corrupt
Practices Act, which also passed and
has become law, for violations there
of, are $1,000 fine and five years impris-
onment, and under the latter act every
candidate for county and state offices
must file an itemlzed account, accom-
panied by receipted vouchers, of all
their election expenses with the County
Commissioners or Secretary of tbe
Commonwealth, these accounts to be
sworn to; and the illegal use Of money
or other valuables to secure either
nomination or election, or the filing OF
an incorrect account. not only subjects
the offender to custer from Office. but
also to criminal prosecution.
After this year candidates for county
offices will announce their names and
make their canvasses as heretofore, but
they must also. three weeks before the
primary, petition the County Commits
sioners to place their names on the Off
cial ballot; and any dealings they have
with the men heretofore known as
"ward-heelers" will be at their peril.
for whether nominated or not, they
must file correct and complete account
Of their expenses. which shall be sub
ject to public inspection.
The pay of the election boards is to
be one-half of their usual pay. The
act goes into effect Nov. 1st next.