The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1910-08-27
Does Not Change Primary Law

~ He decision OF the supreme court of the state relative to the d.
rect primary law. as outlined elsewhere in this paper, in no
I ways 'krpo.ls OUT the primary law, as has been gleefuny
heralied by the Republican organ. In fact, the decision of the SUI
prenr court merely simplifes and explains a question or two relative
to bA,lcting in the primary, and really widens the scope of the law in
every say.
The new ruling simply means that when the Republican voter, for
instance. takes his ballot into the election booth and finds that under
the heading For County Commissioner there is no name printed,
he may write the name of a man he desires a a candidate for that
position. Or, if the names that are printed there are not acceptable to
him, he may write in the nam of the man he wants to fill the place,
use the stamp after the written name, and he has voted within the
provisions of the law. 1t does not matter if this name 50 written in
hdpfe ems to be a name that is printed on the Democratic ballot as a
candidate. His vote will go just the same. In other words, he can
"seratch" his ticket.
But, when he writes on his Republican ballot the name of a
it goes as IA Republican vote in the Republican election. Should this
man receive enough votes o written in, he would be made the Repub-
ican nominee. Should the same man receive enough Democratic
votes o n his regular ticket, he would be the nominee of the Democratic
party, also-be the nominee of both Democratic and Republican par
ties for the same office. Or, should he receive the Republican nominal
ton and be defeated for the Democratic nomination, he would bear
Tie unique distinction of being the Republican nominee for a n office
he sought on the Democratic ticket.
Unless there is a well defined and general movement to write in
the name of a man not o your ticket, however, such a vote will be
lost, just the same as a vote east for an unsuccessful candidate for
termination at a convention is lost. Still, such action affords the voter
the privilege of giving some man whom he desires to honor a com
plimentary vote and spares him the necessity of voting for a man of
whose candidacy he does not approve.
The ruling in no way affects the effectiveness o integrity of the
primary law, nor does it in any way practically knock OUT that
law.
The primary law is for the purpose of allowing the individual
voter to vote for the man he desires to be a candidate for any office
The restriction as to the filing of petitions bearing a certain number of
names is merely in order that the man who files his name with the
county clerk a. a candidate shows that he is in the campaign in good
faith, and in order that the proper officials may have opportunity to
up the ballot in time for election. The primary is nothing but a
convention, to which every individual voter is a delegate. Under the
system. the selection of delegates was in the hands of a
and the committee generally in the hands of local and state
interests. = And after that the individual voter got sthe leavin s
Lest You Forget
w HEN the lamented Senator Geor& Pyne framed the direct