Cañon City record., 1910-11-10
THE OFFICIAL BAL
LOTS PRINTED IN RE-
CORD MAKING TIME
Changes Ordered BY Courts And Secre.
tary Of State Causes No End Of In
convenience And An Unprecedented
Rosh In Every County In The State
Ballots VIII Be Out On Time.

From Fridays Daily
On next Tuesday when you walk
into the polling place you will give
your name to the election judges A
judge will look through the registra-
ton list and if your name is on the
list all right, he will hand you a bal
lot You take the ballot and go into
a secret booth and mark it up Just as
you please.
The ballot will be a sheet of paper
about the size of page of the Daily
Record. 1t looks like a very simple
thing, easy to produce. yet probably
more thought and labor has been ex-
pended TO get up that little sheet of
paper than any other piece of printed
matter you have ever had in your
hand.
The process of printing and prepar-
ing the ballot alone is an unusually
heavy job They must first be set
up" and much effort and care taken
in proof reading to have every name
absolutely correct The paper must
be perforated. Then the sheets are
printed on both sides Then the per-
forated stubs must be numbered in
duplicate. After that they are
tabled" that is the ballots for each
precinct are glued up in two blocks
after the fashion that letter heads
are blocked" or tabled" There are
about thirty-seven precincts in the
county and the ballots for each are
different in some respect
This would be simple matter with
the time ordinarily given to job
OF printing. but the time is short
There are between 1900 and $4,000
ballots required of a county like Ere
mont
The copy is given TO the printer by
the county clerk on the Sth day before
the election and it is required that a
sample ballot be displayed in the
clerks office seven days before cleo
tion. Then all the balloSs for all of
the precincts of the county are sup
posed to be in the clerks hands four
days before election. in order that he
may have time TO prepare them for
delivery TO the various precincts.
That is the usual way of doing it
and ii is hard enough matter for the
best print shop in a country town to
get the large quantity out on time.
II means two or three all night runs
of the press and a gang of people hard
at work all the time.
This year an unusual thing happen
ed After the clerk had the ballots
well under way according TO law. and
had the samples on display in his Of
fee. in fact on the night of the 7th
day before election. the supreme
court OF Denver ordered the secre-
tary of state to certify to all the coun-
~ clerks of the state about eight new
names to go on the ballots. These
names were several candidates on the
Prohibition and Socialist state tickets,
There was nothing to do but hold
up the printing of the ballots and
start over again.
Mr.. II. f. Smith. the county clerk.
did not get the official notification
from the secretary OF state until the
middle OF Thursday afternoon. when
the presses were started again, and
work began again at the point where
it started last Monday night
The ballots are being printed At the
Record office and it taxes the capacity
of this well equipped plant TO do the
job over practically twice in the short
time allotted The presses ran all
night last night and viii run all night
tonight just as they did on Monday
and Tuesday nights. and the boys
about the office have practically for
gotten what a nights rest is in a com
Portable bed.
II is fortunate that no lives are at
stake as therp were in the case OF
the man Asleep at the switch" 1t
has become mechanical with them.
Frank goes on feeding the press with
clock-iike regularity. awake or asleep.
and sterling can hit the exact spot
on the narrow stub with his number
ing machine Just as well with his eyes
closed. enjoying dream OF his far on
Iowa home as he did the first night
out. and Charlie showing them up to