The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-05-18
CONVENTIONS
ARE NO MORE
Nominations Must be Made
by Primary.
in CITY AND COUNTY
The Same Conditions Will
Exist From Now On.
Aspirants for Office Must First Sc
cure Signatures Of Two Percent Of
the Party Vote.

Peculiar conditions will obtain in
the municipal election to be held this
fall under the new primary ele.tion
law, preparations for which the
board Of elections is now making. A
meeting will be held within the next
week, and arrangements made for
bringing the voters and prospective
office holders into full understand
ing of the new law and it's many
provisions which change in great
part Of the old methods of proceed
ure.
In the city and the county every
candidate for an office must secure
a petition signed by at least two per
cent. Of the voters of his party, vot-
ing at the election two years ago for
this office, to have his name put on
the ballot. This petition must be
made out on blanks furnished by the
election board and every name must
be signed with ink and have affixed
the residence of the elector signing
1t. 1t must then be given to the
election board and properly can
vassed. Thus, Democrat, wishing
TO run for mayor at the primaries,
must secure two per cent. OF the
number OF votes registered for Louis
Scherff for mayor two years ago,
on his petition. A councilman-at-
large must se,Te two per cent. Of
the number OF votes cast for coun-
cilman-at-large two years ago. In
the case OF ward councilmen they
need only to secure two per cent. of
the number Of votes cast for council
by their party in their respective
wards, two years ago.
The names will be arranged on bal
lots printed by the election board
for use at the primaries viii h will
be held in every precinct in the city
on the first Tuesday after the first
Monday In September. No one but
registered voters of each party may
vote at the primaries and each can
didate is entitled to a challenge at
the polls and whenever the politics
of any one Is in doubt the candidate
is entitled to have him sworn by
notary and make affidavits that
he voted the party ticket at the pre-
Yious election. This Is done TO pre-
vent Democrats and Republicans
from taking part I'm cah others
primaries.
The time-honored convention is a
thing of bygone days under the new
law and no more VIII the eloquence
of party leaders make the court
house ring; no more will the party
bosses swing nominations to their
favOrite by controlling the conven-
tion. II must all be done at the
primaries and the man not allied
with the organization has as much
chance to secure the nomination as
has the one advocated by the party
leaders. Only the Republican and
Democratic tickets will be in the
field this year as no other party
polled ten per cent. of the total
vote at the last election. The bal
lOt5 hL Ine ClecIlOn Will COhldln, III
addition to the regular municipal
tickets, separate coiumn ror mem
bers of the board of education and
for land assessors for the decennial
appraisement.
The board of elections win set
several dates on which voters VINO
have not registered and those who
have moved since the last election
may register and secure the rights
to participate in the primaries and
to vote at the election
IAs yet there is no dearth of can
didates but politics Is not bother
ing the general public to any great
extent yet and those With bees and
suppressed booms are only waiting
for more opportune time to foist
them upon the public. The petitions
will come later and doubtless the
party primarle swill be interesting IN