The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-03-08
QUALIFYING
 NEW VOTERS. Attorney General Makes Statement of Law. REGISTRATION FOR PRIMARY Two Classes of Voters to Profit by
 New Law.
 The Law Seems to oive RisAt of Resis- tration te Voters Moyta ia from Other Counties.

Candidates who are to run in the coming municipal and general prifna-
 ries are interesting themselves in the new law of the special session of the
 Alabama Legislature. which provides
 for the opening of the registration books prior to q primary or election. All over the State there Is a wave of speculation about who are going to be eligible to register when the books are reopened.
 when seen yesterday by q represen-
 tative of The Advertiser. Attorney General Alex M. Garber merely pointed to the act of the Legislature passed at the extra session last November. lie holds to the construction of this act
 that the books are not going to be | thrown wide open. The law, he said, specifics in a degree those who will be | Justifiabfe applicants for registration | on Friday and Saturday before prima- 1 rtes and elections.
 "The act. which is anendatory of the | general election law of 1903 on the
 subject, is different from the old sec- | tion in only one feature" said the Att 1 torney.0eneral. This is the provision
 Of the 1907 law allowing the registra. | tion books to be opened on Friday and 1 Saturday next preceding the day of 1 each primary as we'll as before each 1 special. general or municipal election
 You will note that the old law al- lowed the books to be opened only be- fore the elections. but now they must | De opened on the same days before the | priEna ries as we'll. That appears to Dc l the only difference between the two
 acts on this question.
 l "T am sure that you will find the two
 acts the same on the restrictions of those qualiiied to register on these two
 special days"
 Act Qusted.
 Then, the Attorney>General cited the two statutes relating to this special l registration. They provide both for q sitting of the Board of Registrars con Friday and Saturday next preceding
 the day of each special. general or riu-
 nicipal election. held under the general | laws of this State. and in the event of such municipal election being held in
 a town other than the county site and
 on day other than that of any spe- cial or general election, said Regis l trars shall sit on Friday and Saturday preceding such election at some place within the corporate limits of the Inu-
 nicipality wherein such proposed elec- tfon ls to be held. of the time and
 place of which sitting due notice shall l bs given as provided for in the matter l of regular registrations"
 These words appear in both the eleo- tion laws, but q earsfal fea.ling of the l new act on the subject will disclose 1 that before the words: special, geners ] al or municipal elections" to which l the registration meeting applies. is 1 inserted the word primary" and con- 1 seduent'y the ReSissrATs will have to l meet on the two days named before the 1 primaries which are now upon us and I open the books for the registration of 1 certain persons who can show that they 1 could not register at the regular time 1 for such registration.
 Here the Attorney General does not I care to interfere with any opinion at | all. He cites what the law says on the I subject ana ie inclined to leave the dis l cretion to the Registrars themselves. 1 The class Of voters to be registered on | these days are described as follows | "All applicants having the qualifioa- tions of an elector who shall have | reached the age of 21 years since the | last date of registration, or who shall
 prove to the reasonable satisfaction of | the Board that by reason of disability | of himself or sickness during the pe- | riod the Board of Registrars were reg | Istering the voters in the Precinct | where the applicant resides. in his fam. fly. or unavoidable inability to at- l tend the registration at other times or | by reason of absence from the county. | they had no opportunity to register 1 prior to said time. and they shall not
 on such days register any other. per 1 son&''
 l First Tests of Law.
 | The Attorney General Is expecting to 1 be swamped with requests for con i struction of different features of the new law. especially as the coming pri-
 maries will be the first tests thereof l and copies of the act have not been l printed for distribution. The codifi-
 cation has been completed but the vol
 tunes have not been prepared for gene l era1 distribution.
 The Advertiser representative asked the Attorney General whether he thought voter otherwise qualified who may have changed his residence from
 one county to another. would be ale
 lowed to register on the two special
 days referred to If his first year of rcs-
 idence should expire after the regular
 date of registration and before the
 primaries. The Attorney General said
 he would net commit hin1self to e re.
 ply on this question.
 It would seem that. in the same 1us- |
 tice as that allowing young men be. |
 coming of age during the same period |
 to register. the persons ehaneing |
 counties Of residence should be allowed |
 the same privilege.
 The following section of House hill l
 s9 on this matter was pointed out by
 the Attorney General:
 "Any elector who may have changed
 the county of his residence shall, on
 application, after he shall have &C.,
 quired legal residence in his new To- cation, be registered upon production of his legal certificate to the board of registrars, unless he since shall have become disqualified. Said cleo tor shall file with the probate judge l of the county of his new location a 1 certificate from the probate judge of
 the county of former residence that
 he has paid all poll taxes due from
 him for the year 1901 and for each | sub sequent year up to the time of l such change of residence"
 Those Tventy-One Years old. The procedure for persons becoming l twenty-one years old after October 1 who are exempt from paying poll l taxes--is set forth in the following
 section of House Bill s9 of the special session of 1907:
 Any person who becomes twenty one years of age after October of any kx INak Ca -Na