Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-09-19
NO PARTISAN POLITICS
New Law Provides for Complies
Elimination of PartisansElp
From Municipal Elections
HOW 1T WOULD WORK HERE
Will Have to be Voted on Mineral
Point Next Spring if Voters
Desire it.

fOlUl NSNl SpI1lS IL NolSiS
Desire it.
Harry r. Goldman, city attorney of
Marinette, explains the new law which
provides for nonpartisan elections in
municipal politics. Following appears
Attorney Goldman's explanation,
with the figures changed so as to APP
ply to the city of Mineral Point:
Of absorbing interest to politicians
and of wide general interest is the So
called partisan election law enac-
ed by the last legislature and known
as Chapter go of the Laws of Wiscon-
sin for 1907. The purpose of this law
is to remove municipal elections from
state or national partisanship. The
law is not applicable in any city I'M
less first adopted voting on the ques-
tion of its adoption, which may be
specially submitted at any regular
municipal election.
Petition Needed.
In order to make the law effective
in Mineral Point it will be necessary
that more than thirty days before the
next spring election petition should
should be presented to the city clerk
and signed by more than ten per cent.
of the voters who voted for governor
at the last general election, asking the
submission of the question as to
whether this law should be adopted in
this city. The petition would there
fore have to contain at least 20z
names of qualified voters of the city
After sush petition is presented the
city clerk is required to submit the
question of the adoption of the law
and any time after such election the
question as to whether the non-parti,
san election law shall continue to be
applicable to the city may be, upon 9
similar petition be again submitted tC
the voters of the city.
No Party Designation.
After the adoption of the law nc
designation of any party or principle
can be used for any candidate on any
nomination paper, official notice OF
ballot for any municipal election, OF
preliminary election or nomination
for city offices. A candidate for any
city office may be nominated by nOlni
nation papers signed by a number o
case may be, equal to not less thar
two per cent of the total number o
votes case in the city or ward fOI
governor at the last preceding genera
| election, but in no case by less thar
ten electors. In Mineral Point this
would mean that candidates for city
Offices must have the signature O
more than IL voters, and candidates
for ward Offices must have at least ter
signatures. These papers are filed il
the office of the city CLERK at least z:
days before the municipal election.
Making Up Ticket.
No OJher person than those so nOmi
upon the election ticket, and the of.
fees to be voted for must be arranged
on the ballot in the order in which
they are named in the Statutes GREAT
ing the offices. The names of the
candidates must be arranged together
under each Office in an order to be
determined by lot by the city clerk
for each office, in the presence of The
candidates of their representatives, al
time appointed by law.
a Preliminary Election.
The names of all the candidates
nominated are placed upon the ballot
unless a preliminary election is called
for. This is done by filing in the
clerks Office, at least twenty days be-
fore election day, a petition signed by
a number of the voters OF the city, not
less than 20 in Mineral Point, requir-
ing the preliminary election to be
called. The clerk then gives notice OF
the holding of q preliminary election
on day seven days prior to the regu-
lar election day, the names on the bal
lot at this preliminary election being
arranged in the same manner as pro-
vided for the general election. The
preliminary election is held for the
purpose of determining upon not more
than two candidates for each office, tC
be voted for at the regular city cleo
ton, and the two receiving the highest
number of votes for each Office at such
preliminary election become the can
didates at the regular municipal cleo
ton. No other person except those
chosen at the preliminary election car
have his name placed upon the ballot
to be used at the general city election
and no vote can be counted at the city
election except when cast for one OF
the two candidates nominated at the
preliminary election.
Adoption Favored
The law has received considerable
attention and many arguments have
been advanced in favor of adopting it
especially in the smaller cities Of the
state. If the law is adopted it will re-
move city elections from party affilia-
tions, and, as claimed by the support,
ers of the law, it will tend to the cleo
IL NJ