The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-10-21

To INSPECTORS
The Election Officials Are Told
How to Conduct the
Election.

The following are the important parts
of the instructions to Election Inspec
tors which Secretary Mott-Smith i:
sending out to the officers of election:
Immediately after the closing of the
polls the chairman of the inspectors shall
open the ballot-boxes and proceed 70
openly and publicly count the ballots
as follows:
The whole number of ballots shall
| first be counted, to see if their num-
/ Der corresponds with the number of
! ballots east as recorded by the inspec-
1 tors.
If there are more ballots than such
record calls for, the chairman of the
inspectors shall replace all the ballots
in the ballotbOx, and close, lock and
shake the same so as to thoroughly
mix the ballots.
The box shall then be opened md a
cloth laid over it, and the chairman
of inspectors. having first held up his
open hand with the arm barred to the
elbow. shall introduce his hand under
the cloth covering the ballot box and
draw therefrom. without looking, one
ballot at a time, until the number of
ballots in the ballotbox is reduced TO
correspond with the number of names
of voters who have voted, as record
ed on the inspectors list.
The ballots so removed shall be
marked Immediately, before proceeding
further with the counting, in such
manner that they can afterwards be
identified, and be signed by the chair
man of the inspectors, and shall be
preserved with the records, s. 90, p. q.
If the inspectors, after withdrawing
a ballot because the number counted
exceeds the number checked off, dis
cover that they have omitted to check
off the name of one who has voted,
they should recount the ballots, inelud-
ing the one withdrawn.
If the number of ballots corresponds
with the number of persons recorded
by the inspectors as having voted, or
shall be less than such number, or
shall, by the means provided here,
have been made to correspond there
with, the inspectors shall then proceed
to count the votes cast for each candi-
date, S. SO, p. 81.
Reading Ballots.
The chairman shall withdraw one
ballot at time from the ballot-box,
hold the ballot up to the light to ex-
anime it for the proper water-mark,
show it to the other two inspectors for
proper marking. ETC., and theE read
from it in a loud, clear voice the
names of the candidates voted for. |
One of the other inspectors should at |
the same time make a record thereof |
Rejected Ballots.
A ballot should be rejected (D- if |
more names are voted for on a ballot |
than there are offices to be filed (this
does not apply to ballots of county |
or city and county officers where a
ballot marked for too many of ore |
class of officers is not thereby invali-
dated as to the other classes; ~ if |
on ballot for representatives larger
number of votes are marked than the
law authorizes; 90 if ballot contains
any mark or symbol whereby it may |
be identified or any mark or symbol
contrary to the provisions of s. 81, p. |
81: az if two or more ballots are
found in the ballot-box so folded to-
gether as to make it clearly certain
that more than one ballot was put in
by one person. S. "a, p %, Ballots
have been held properly rejected if the
cross mark is inelosed in parenthesis
or is on the left-hand side of the can
didate'S name or is in the same space
with the candidates name; or if the
voter writes the candidates name in
stead of making a cross mark Except
as provided in S. 81 last paragraph,
p. 12); or if several straight lines are
made before the cross mark; or where
there are marks that might be regard
ed as distinguishing marks, such as
single line left after starting to make
a cross in proper place and not com
pleting it, or small dots or other marks
made in checking off names not voted
for, or a heavy line made under
cross for emphasis. or where there are
erasures or a large hole
caused by repeated rubbing with a
pencil.
A voter who spoils his ballot should
it and obtain another.
Ballots have been held to be valid
when the defects are incOnspicuous or
appear to be the result of accident,
ignorance, want of skill
or not of evil intent; ballots on which
the crosses are imperfectlyg formed, as
when the lines are irregular or repeat
ed or have small hooks at the ends of
the arms, or when the lines are of
varying length so as to give the cross
the appearance Of V o. T or Y, or
when the cross has the appearance of
the figure 4 ballots on which the lines
Of the cross are perpendicular and
horizontal instead of obHque, or on
which the crosses are unusually heavy
or one % which is unusually heavy, or
on which there are small punctures;
ballots on which there are small dots
or other marks near the cross; or on
which there are other accidental, IT.
regular, indefinite marks; ballots on
which there are impresses of other
crosses, the result of marking one bal
lot on top of another, or of marking
on a coiored shelf or of folding after
with a soft pencil; ballots on
which the cross marks are substantial
Iy though not entirely within the
proper space.
Democrats and Stevedores.
The Democrats took advantage of the