The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1907-04-19
EFFECT OF NEW PRIMARY
WHAT THE NEW ELECTION LAW
MEANS TO NORFOLK.
AND TO COUNTY POLITICS
There viii be no More Nominating
Conve ntlons - Candidates Must File
Their Nominating Petitions a Month
Before Primary Election.

Before another election Is held in
Nebraska the now statewide primary
election law will have gone into Of.
feet by next fall the convention sys.
tenn will have been superseded by the
direct primary and radical change
will have been introduced into Ne.
praslia politics. Norfolk people with
the rest of the state will have their
| politics" touched by the now law at
nearly every angle The Madison
county voter who has learned the
ropes of the convention system will
have to study an entirely new text
book in politics If he Is going to make
his influence count In the new order
of things
Now hat the new legislation Is n
law or the state" Norfolk citizens are
interested in finding out exactly the
new condition of affairs. Local vot.
crs know the conventions and the
caucus; they have been attending or
avoiding them for 10 these many
years. But n revolution has struck
things political and few voters have
more than vague idea of the i'm.
portant details of the new law that
brings radical change to Nebraska
politics.
Voters who have hurrledly examined
the new law are in many cases not
much wiser than their fellows. Sew
eral of the sections apparently con
lict; others are loosely framed and not
easy to decipher. The new statute
contains a provision that 1t shall be
literally construed and liberal con-
struction may have to be called into
action to put the new law on It's feet.
What ever the new law may mean
in some of its details 1t Is pretty clear
that 1t puts an official "ban" on the
convention. The convention has not
been entirely driven from Nebraska,
however, for city conventions Will still
flourish in the smaller cities of the
state Norfolk will still hold city con
ventions and nominate its candidates
for city and school district Offices af'
ter the present custom. Section | OF
the new law provides that the act
shall not apply ito special elections
to fill vacancies, nor to municipal cleo
tons in cities having less than $4,000
population, villages, township, and
school district officers, nor to mem
bers of boards of education"
No more Madison county conven'
tons, no more legislative conventions
no more judicial conventions, no more
congressional conventions no more
state conventions, which in years past
= have enlivened the times and quick
ened the party spirit, will be no more
under decree of the legislature. The
= new statewide primary law provides
that these conventions shall be dis
carded In making nominations for gen
= eral elections and can be brought into
use only for special elections to fill
vacancies.
No more Battle Creek conventions
for Madison county On the first
Tuesday in September Madison county
voters in common with the voters oi
: the other counties of the state viii
2 go to their precinct voting place and
participating in a direct primary cleo
Il
nominate all the party candidates tc
5 be voted on at the November election
: including United States senator. The
polls in Madison county will be oper
from ~ m to 9 p. m. The election
will be under the supervision OF the
, regular election judges. The prima
ries of all parties will be held at the
same place. at the same time and nm
der the control of the same election
boards.
: When the Madison county vote
goes to the primary next September
he will have to declare his party affil
. iations. If a voter Is challenged he
t lions and as to his intention of sup
r porting at least a majority OF the par
| ty candidates before he can partici
Y pate in the primary of that party
Y The voter then receives ballot o
S the party with which he afiliates
e The names of the candidates for thu
party nominations are arranged il
alphabetical order under the nomina
t ton which they seek. The person
t receiving the greatest number OF vote
! in his party primary for an office shall
= be the candidate of the party for tina
e office and his name will be printed OF
d the official ballot as the party cand
o date. This form of the primary /
j known as the "closed primary" be
g cause only republican voters partic
i pate in republican nominations an
n only democratic voters make demo
l. cratic nominations.
Candidates who desire to ask tn
r voters of their party for the part
r nomination may have their name
n printed on the ballot of their party b
d filing the proper nomination paper
r and by paying the filing fee. Or
5. modesty interposes, twenty-five quail
4, fed voters of the party may place tn
l. candidate in nomination in the sam
y manner. These nomination paper
must be filed with the county cler