The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1911-04-07
PRIMARY ELECTION LAW.
To Choose Candidates for Office
The Supervisors of Election to
Control.


year to adapt themselves to, in the man
ner of nominating candidates for office
who are to be voted for at the general
election which takes place November 7.
Throughout the State the nominations
will be made by direct vote of the
people, as provided for by the new pri-
mary election law which was passed in
1910 by the General Assembly of Mary
land, and which was given its first trial
last fall when candidates for Congress
were nominated. The law provides that
primaries of all political parties shall be
held on the same day and at the same
time and place. The date for holding
the primaries will be fixed by the State
committees of the two principal parties
in Maryland, at the head of which are
Gen. Murray Vandiver and John B.
Hanna, and If these committees cannot
agree upon date then the primaries will
be held on the first Monday in Septem-
Der, as the law prescribes.
The primary elections will be con-
Quoted under the control of the supervis-
ors of election Tor Baltimore City and the
different counties and along the same
lines as general elections. The supervis
ors of election will appoint Judges and
clerks and provide the ballots, which
shall contain the names of all candidates
for Office, whether State or county, the
names of delegates for the State conven-
tons, and the names for party executives
or members of party committees.
While the nominations for State offices
will be made by conventions, as hereto
fore, the individual voter of the State will
be afforded fuller opportunity for vocing
of his sentiments in the selection of such
candidates. In the first place he will
vote at the primaries for the delegates
who shall constitute such convention,
and in the next place he will be afforded
the privilege of designating his first, sec
ond, third or fourth choice for candi-
date. Take, for example. the nominq-
| ton for Governor, and the method of
voting which will obtain in Frederick
county. On every ballot voted at the
primary election, in addition to the names
of the various candidates, the voter will
find spaces provided in which he may
designate his first choice for Governor,
| and if there be more than one candidate
then his second, third or fourth choice as
the case may be. BY this means the
voters really instruct the delegates who
shall represent Frederick county in a
State convention for that candidate who
has received the largest vote in Frederick
county as first choice for Governor, and
the delegates are bound by such instruc-
ton, as will be noted by the following
extract from the law:
THE several delegations Ito the con-
vention) shall be required to cast and
the chairman shall announce the vote
according to such instructions so received
by the several delegations in the prmar-
les so held in their respective counties or
legislative districts of Baltimore City, and
if the result of such ballot in such con-
vention shows that there has been no
nomination for such Office by majority
vote of such convention then and in that
event the candidate receiving the lowest
vote for such office shall be dropped
from the balloting by the convention, and
the delegation or delegations so voting
for such candidate whose name is SO
dropped on the first ballot shall cast their
vote on the second ballot of such conven-
ton for the candidate or candidates who
is or are the second choice of such coun-
ties or legislative districts OF Baltimore
City as appears from the credentials and
instructions of such delegations and if no
nomination is made by such convention
for such office by a majority vote of the
delegates upon such second ballot the
same process of dropping the last lowest
candidate and transferring the votes of
the delegations voting for the same to
their next highest choice as shown by
their said Instructions shall be continued
until nomination for such Office shall
have been made and declared by such
convention by majority vote of the
delegates constituting the same"
However, should only one candidate
for an Office, or only one set of delegates
TO a convention or one set OF candidates
for members of managing bodies of the
different parties, qualify for the purpose
of having their names placed upon the
official primary election ballot, said
names may be omitted from the official
ballot, and certificates of nomination will
be issued TO them the same as il there
had been a contest between rival candi-
dates.
There are many other features of the
new law which are wide departures from
| the methods heretofore in use in this
| State for the nominations of both State
and county tickets The offenses de-
fined as being applicable to the general
election laws of the State with the penal
ties and puniShments prescribed therefor
are fully applicable to persons and mat
tiers IN connection with the primary cleo.
tons. and the corrupt practices act pro-
vides that all its provisions, prohibitions
and penalties also apply.
The Offices to be voted for are Gov
ernor Attorney General and Comptroller
of the State, besides a new General AS
sembly will be chosen-the full member
ship of the House of Delegates and
twelve members of the State Senate.
In Frederick county State Senator,
five members of the House of Delegates,
States attorney, sheriff, treasurer, three
judges of the Orphans Court, two county
commissioners and surveyor will be
elected. An associate judge, to succeed
Judge Edward c. Peter, will also be
elected for the Sixth Judicial Circuit,
which is comprised Of Montgomery and
Frederick counties.
Sunday Hours Reduced at the
Post Office.
N, cundav 1act tha ond met the SIM