The Owyhee nugget. ([Silver City], Idaho) 1905-1984, 1909-03-05
All About The Primary Law.
Its Provisions Recited in Man
ner That All Can Understood.

Brady, although patterned after the
Washington and Wisconsin statutes, is
declared to remedy the defects OF both.
There are three salient features in the
proposed enactment. One provision is
taken directly from the Wisconsin law
and was conceived by LaFollette himself,
requiring that all party conventions shall
be held on the same day at the state cap
ital. The significance Of this is that the
platform of every party cannot be copied
by another to its own credit.
Another clause is designed to be an i'm
provement upon the Washington statute
relative to the election of United States
senators. In that state majority offirst
choices is required to instruct the legisla-
tors for any one party candidate This
is corrected to read a majority of first
choices, or, in the event there is not full
majority, the most first and second
choices-but the language Of the measure
does not stipulate that this shall mean a
binding instruction to the Legislators.
Another section provides for separate
ballots for each party in primary cleo
ton and permits no scratching. A man
must vote an entire party ticket or none
at all.
The party convention is to be attended,
not by candidates, as in some states, but
delegates designated by county central
committees who have been chosen by the
nominees. This plan is adopted to pre-
vent the platform from being distorted to
fit the individual purposes of the various
candidates. The same idea requires that
the convention Of all parties shall be held
on the same day but shall be concluded
within AS hours.
The law comes as near the election of
a United States senator by direct vote as
is possible under the constitution of the
United States. A voter at the general
election may signify his first choice and
then his second choice. The party can
didate for the toga receiving the majority
Of first choice votes is certified by the
of state to the legislature. III
no one candidate gets majority then the
Of state certifes the name of the
one who gets the most first and second |
choice party votes. The Legislators of the
same party are not bound to elect him.
They cannot be. But they may sign
pledges at the time they become candi-
iates for the legislature, promising to
east their ballots for the one who receives
jhe majority of first choice or the most
irst and second choice votes. In almost
very instance, if the statute operates as
t does in other states, they will do this,
md thus be held by their word.
The measure stipulates that separate
oallots shall be used at a primary cleo
ion by each party, voter receiving all
# them upon entering booth and dis
'arding all but the one he wishes to vote.
On each ballot under every office is
blank line to be filled in with the name
# the individual choice of the voter if he
las no preference among the published
andidates.
The law will operate in somewhat the
manner: The first primary
lection is to be held on the last Tuesday
n August, 1910. Any person entitled to
lold an office may become a candidate.
lie does so by filing nomination paper
t least 30 days before the primary cleo
ion. If he is a candidate for an office
mbracing more than county he files it
7ith the secretary of state and pays a
ee OF $2, if his prospective salary is $500,
nd additional sum equal to l per cent if
he salaryis above that If he is candi-
idate for county office, he files it with
he county auditor with a fee at the same
ate. A petition may be substituted in