The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1910-04-21
ABOUT SECOND
CHOICE PHASE
Instructive Article Relative
TO Feature of Perplex-
ing Problem.

DHu CHOICE feature VI the ulTeCI PR
mary law appeared. In connection
with the article the suggestion is
Offered that If the voter desires to
make doubly certain that his ballot
will be counted and still does not
wish to aid the candidacy of any as
pirant other than his first choice,
he can do so by writing the name
of any person he may desire in the
space therefor on the ballot and plac-
ing a cross in the second choice col
umn directly after the name he has
written. The Statesman article is
as follows
The Statesman has received
statement expressing an opinion re-
speeding the second choice problem"
as it is called. The following is TAX
en- from It:
at has been asked whether a bal
lot cast at the coming primaries in
August, upon which is indicated the
voters first choice for some office,
but upon which the voter has failed
to indicate his second choice, should
be counted for the candidate indicat-
ed as the voters first choice, or
whether his failure to indicate his
second choice for that office would
render his vote invalid"
In other words, suppose voter,
for some reason best known to him
self, or perchance inadvertently, in
dicates nothing but his first choice,
will that omission on his part re-
suit in his ballot being not counted?
I'm our opinion there can be but
one answer to this question, and
that is that the ballot must be count
ed for such person as the voter in
dicates properly as his first choice,
and that the matter of voting his
second choice is the voters privilege,
and not obligatory upon him in or
der to give full effect to the ballot
cast.
1--WE must confess that we cannot
understand upon what possible theory
any other opinion could be based.
To hold contrary to the way we
have indicated would be, in effect, to
compel a voter to vote for two can
didates in order that his vote might
be registered for one, the one of
which candidates may be positively
nistasteful or a person of whom he
feels of doubtful qualifications for
the office. No one would hold for a
moment that because three candi-
dates for a certain office--such as
commissioner. for instance are to
voted for, and an instruction Is plac-
ed upon the ballot to the effect that
n voter shall vote for three, in or
der that his vote be counted for any
such officers, he must vote for all
three. This is absurd. Shall a voter
who has particular candidate for
Office-that of governor, for instance
be deprived of his right to vote
for such person unless he can con-
scientiously vote for someone else
named upon the ticket as his Sec
ond choice, or indicate by writing up
ON the ballot someone whose name
is not printed thereon? Surely this
was not the intention of the legis-
latnre and II 1t was the intention of
the legislature, this statute must
necessarily be held unconstitutional
as plain deprivation of voters
inaiienable right of suffrage.
Voters Intention Must Decide.
From the time when the voter
cast his ballot for the man of his
choice. by writing with his own hand
upon any substance suitable to re-
ceive his handwriting, the name of
his candidate, to the evolution of
the present day ballot, the avowed
purpose of which is the prevention
of fraud and the proper expression
of the will of the voter, the forms
OF the ballot have gone through many
mutations. Notwithstanding all the
technicalities of the so-called Aus
tralian ballot, and its notifications
and the more or less conflicting opin.
ions OF the several courts of the
country upon many of the statutes
with reference thereto, there is one
well-defined trend in all the decis.
Ions, which is as diseoverable as
the strand of silk in our genuine
bank notes, and that is that the in.
tention of the voter, If it can be dis.
covered, must be hardened unto.