The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-09-27
HOW TO USE AUSTRALIAN
 BALLOT

For the first time in Connecticut vot- CTS will use the Australian ballot in the October and November elections Voting by this method is simple. There is only one ballot, and that is official. The voter obtains his ballot as he enters the voting place. No more ballots can be given out than there are voters. And the number of voter spells a ballot he must return it and get another.
 To vote straight ticket the voter has only to mark an x in the circle above his party column, but even then the law is a bit fussy, because it re- quires that the tx'' must be marked with a pencil having a black lead.
 No matter if the voter proposes to split his ticket he must mark one of the circles and mark it only with an t'x'', as any other mark will render the ticket void.
 ssThis ballot shall be marked with a pencil having black lead. To vote a straight ticket, make a cross-mark x within the circle above one of the party columns. To vote a split ticket. that is, for candidates of different par ties. the voter shall make a cress- mark K before the name of each candi- date for whom he votes, not appearing in the column which he has designated by an K in the circle at it's head If the ticket marked in the circle for a straight ticket does not contain the names of candidates for all offices for which the elector desires to vote, he shall, in addition to the cross mark
 K made in the circle hereinbefore re- quired. vote for candidates for such offices omitted by making a cross mark K before the names of the can didates for such offices in another col umn on this ticket, or by writing the name, if not printed upon the ballot, in the blank column, under the title of the office. Any other mark than the cross-mark K used for the pur- pose of voting will render this ballot . 1~Gr r1er1xY mark this ballot, return it and obtain another" ,
 The puzzle comes when the. voter does not wish to vote for any one of desires to split his ticket. In the former case, though the secretarys of fee has not passed upon the question, the elector, after making the x at the head of the party column, must, ap- parent1y also mark one at the left of the name of each candidate for whom he wishes to vote.
 If the elector wishes to split a ticket after having marked an x at the head of the party to which he thinks he be- longs he must mark an x after the names of the candidates in the other columns for whom he wishes to vote. Assuming that there are three Select men he may vote for any two. Thus, if he wants to vote for the first candi- date on the Democratic ticket and al- so for the first one on the Republican ticket, he marks an x opposite the names of the men of his choice, and he performs the same stunt regarding grand jurors and constables, but If he votes for more than half the number of candidates for any office his vote becomes void.
 It should be remembered that in the election there are no such candidates as First Selectman" or ''Second Se- '1ectman", the rank of these officials being determined by Section 1872 of the General Statutes which says: ''Of the persons elected Selectmen by any town the person first named on a plurality of ballots east for them or any of them shall be the first Selectman.''
 All the instruction the act gives rela- tive to voting appears at the top of the ballot, but how the different vot- CTS will construe those instructions is a matter of conjecture.