The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-01-23
UP
IN SENATE
MEASURE HAS APPROVAL
OF DIRECT PRIMARY
LEAGUE
Provides for Rotation of. Names
and Also for a Speedy Counting
of Ballots---Advertising Permit
ted With RestrictiOns-Prevent
Scramble for Place.

Olympia, Jan. Ex-senator Ralph
Metcalf, of Pierce county, introduced
a bill in the senate to amend the pri
mary election law. The bill has been
approved by the Direct Primary
League and contains all the remedies
suggested by that organization for the
defects in the present statute.
All cities of the first class which
have charter provisions for nonparti
san nomination of candidates will be
permitted under the Metcalf bill to
proceed as before; that is to say, the
proposed statute exempts cities of the
first class from the operation of the
law in municipal elections. Where no
salary is attached to the office the
filing fee for candidates is reduced
from $40 to 81.
One feature of the bill which pro-
poses to prevent any unseemly scram-
BILE for position on the ballot is adopt
ed from the Minnesota law. 1t pro-
name of one candidate is at the head
of the list in one precinct, less ia
vorable position will be given it in an
other, so that by rotation all of the
candidates will be equal in the matter
of position on the ballot
Double Set of Officials.
The Metcalf bill will make it posi-
BILE to announce the result of a pri-
mary election within half an hour
after the polls close. Two sets of cleo
ton officials and ballot boxes are pro-
vided, and it is required that when
fifty ballots have been cast the Of
ficials shall withdraw to another room
and count them.
During their absence the second set
will be receiving votes, and they in
turn will count when they have fifty
ballots.
The expense of two sets of election
greater than for one set for two days
work. The present law makes no pro-
vision for state committees. The Met
calf bill provides that county commit
tees shall elect members of the state
committee within five days after the
primary election.
( To prevent recurrence of the legal
proceedings which the retiring lieuten-
ant governor has brought against
Lieutenant Governor M. E. Hay, it is
provided in the proposed law that can
didates may advertise in newspapers,
paying the regular rates. 1t is restrict
ed, however, to a simple announce
ment of candidacy, giving the name,
address and party of the candidate.
Corrects Clerical Error.
A clerical error in the present law
which requires that candidates file a
statement of their campaign expenses
in not less than ten days after the
primary election will be corrected to
read within twenty days.
The section of the primary law
prohibiting the sale of liquor on cleo
ton day, which was left out of the
present statute, has been restored in
the Metcalf bill.
At present all voters, except repub-
l1can and democratic, are prevented
from selecting candidates for judges,
inasmuch as the candidate that re-
ceives the highest number of votes at
the primary is the only one whose
name appears on the ballot for any
particular office. This is amended to
provide that the two candidates who
receive the highest number of votes
shall be placed on the ballot The Of
fetal ballot will contain double the
number of candidates for superior or
supreme judges as there are offices to
fill. The nonpartisan idea of electing
judges is made clearer. A separate
ballot for judicial candidates is pro-
vided and voter may call for the
judicial ballot without voting either of
the party ballots.
Independent voters and members of
parties not large enough to place on
the ballot may call for and vote the
judicial ballot. The Metcalf bill legal
ICES the use of stickers. Under the
present law the use of stickers was
upheld in some counties and in others
it was prohibited.