Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1908-08-08
Qualification Of Electors and
Registration Of Voters.
APPROXIMATION
BY His Excellency, Hoke Smith, Gov
ornor.
Executive Department.
Atlanta, Ga, August l, 1908.

Its session in 1908 proposed an
amendment to the Constitution OF
this State as set forth in an Act ap-
proved August list, 1908, to wit:
An Act to amend the Constitution
of the State of Georgia by repeating
section | of article 2 of the Constitu-
ton of this State and inserting in
lieu thereof a new section, consisting
of nine paragraphs, prescribing the
qualifications for electors; providing
for the registration of voters, and for
other purposes.
Section l. Be it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State OF
Georgia, and it is hereby enacted by
| the authority of the same,
that section one of article two
of the Constitution of this State be,
and the same is, hereby repealed, and
the following section, consisting of
nine paragraphs, be inserted in said
| article in lieu thereof:
Paragraph /. After the year 1908
elections by the people shall be by
ballot, and only those persons shall
be allowed to vote who have been
first registered in accordance with
| the requirements of law
Par. 2. Every male citizen of this
State who is a citizen of the United
States, tWenty-one years old or up
wards not laboring under any OF the
disabilities named in this article, and
possessing the qualifications proVid-
ed by it, shall be an elector and en-
titled to register and vote at any
election by the people; provided,
that no soldier, sailor, or marine in
the military or naval services of the
United States shall acquire the rights
of an elector by reason Of being sta
toned on duty in this state.
Par. g. To entitle person to reg
lister and vote at any election by the
people. he shall have resided in the
State one year next preceding the
election, and in the county in which
he offers to vote six months next pre-
cedng the election, and shall have
paid all taxes which may have been
required of him since the adoption
of the Constitution of Georgia of 1877
that he may have had an opportunity
of paying agreeably to law. Such
payment must have been made at
least six months prior to the election
at which he offers to vote, except
when such elections are held within
six months from the expiration of the
time fixed by law for the payment OF
such taxes.
Par. 4. Every male citizen OF this
State shall be entitled to register as
an elector and to vote i'll all elections
in said State who is not disqualified
under the provisions of section 2 OF
article 2 of this Constitution, and
who possesses the qualifications pre-
scribed in paragraphs two and three
of this section or who will possess
them at the date of the election oc'
curing next after his registration,
and who in addition thereto comes
within either of the classes provided
for in the five following subdivisions
of this paragraph.
All persons who have honorably
served in the land or naval forces OF
the United States in the Revolution
ary war, or in the war of 1912, or in
the war with Mexico. or in any war
with the Indians or in the war be.
tween the States, or in the war with
Spain, or who honorably served in
the land or naval forces of the Con.
federate States, or of the State of
Georgia in the war between the
States, or
,. All persons lawfully descended
from those embraced i'll the classes
enumerated in the subdivision next
above, or
3. All persons who are Of good
character, and understand the duties
and obligations of citizenship under
a Republican form of government, or
4. All persons who can correctly
read in the English language any par.
agraph of the Constitution of the
United States or of this State and
correctly write the same in the
English language when read to them
by any one of the registrars, and all
! persons who solely, because of phys.
zeal disability are unable TO comply
with the above requirements, but who
can understand and give a reason.
able Interpretation of any paragraph
of the Constitution of the United
States or of this State, that may be
read to them by any one Of the regis.
trars; or
5. Any person who is the owner
in good faith in his own right of at
least forty acres of land situated in
this State, upon which he resides, or
is the owner in good faith in his own
right of property, situated in this
State and assessed for taxation at the
value of five hundred dollars.
Par. 5. The right to register under
subdivisions one and two of para.
praph four shall continue only until