The Penn's Grove record., 1911-05-05
THE NEW ELECTION LAW.
deran Bill And How 1t viii Work

On May LIST, the Secretary OF State
Dickinson sent a certified copy to
the clerk of every municipality in the
State.
The municipal clerks must at once
lay the new law before the governing
| boards of their municipality.
The governing bodies of the NUM-
| cipalities shall proceed to readJust the
! boundaries of the election districts SO
! that no election district shall contain
over 400 registered voters. At present
the limit is 600 voters to an election
district.
The election districts must be re-
arranged and readjusted before May 10
next.
This part of the Geran law will mean
| the creation of many new election
districts.
Before June / the various county
| chairman must send to the State Civil
| Service Commission in Trenton a list
of "men of good moral character whom
! said chairman recommend for appoint
ment as election officers in the several
election districts of their county,"
The chairman may recommend more
than the number of men who are to be
appointed.
In addition to the regulars who may
thus be recommended by the county
chairman the Independents, Or Pro-
gressives, will have a chance.
Not less than five legal voters i'll an
election district may recommend to the
State Civil Service Commission a mem
Der of their political party for election
officer. No voter may recommend more
than one person for member OF an
election board.
These recommendations from the
independents must be filed by June l.
In Gloucester county the election
officers have heretofore received from
$50 to S35 for their services; under the
Geran bill they will receive about the
same. In ~irst-clasS counties the CON-
~pensation is reported to be considerable
increased-from $50 to $50.
In the smaller municipalities there is
corresponding increase in pay.
Before Aug. Is, the State Civil Ser
vice Commission will meet in various
counties and examine the persons
recommended by the county chairmen
and by the independents OF pr0gl eSsives
for election officers.
The Civil Service examinations will
merely be to find out if the candidate
for election officers can read the Eng
lish language, add and subtract, wcite
in legible hand, distinguish colors,
whether they have a good moral char
acter and whether they shall have
resided at least one year in an election
district in which he is recommended.
BY Aug. 20, the State Civil Service
Commission must certify to the county
jndge in the various counties and to the
County Boards of Elections, the names
of the applicants who have passed the
Civil Service examination for election
officers.
The County Board of Elections takes
the eligible list and on OF before Aug.
25 selects the election officers by lot i'll
the following manner:
The name of each eligible person is
written on a separate piece of paper,
together with tile election district in
which the person so named resides.
Each slip Of paper is folded separately
i'll the presence of the county judge in
Jig SOuAU 1OOibs LII Ill VI Oil tlS
Republicans are-put i'll II box and the
names of all tie Democrats eligible fol
election officers in another box.
After The boxes have been closed and
shaken up so us to mix up the slips OF
paper, the county boards of elections
Oh some person appointed by the county
judge will in open court draw out OF
the boxes, separately, as many names
as may be necessary 10 provide in eacl
election board four election officers.
The county judge may fill vacancies
in the election boards.
The election officers shall hold office
for two years, but, by lot, it shall be
arranged that half the persons appoint.
ed this year shall serve for one year,
the aim being to have half the election
officers appointed each year.
ANY person who has once passed the
civil service examination for election
officer need not undergo such examina
ton for six years.
The primaries will be on the fourth
Tuesday in September under the GeraI
law, and the polls will be open from
Z a. 10. to 9 p. m. Under the old law
pAIuloAlCc NOlO LClu llOLu 1 II. LII "
9 p. m.
All State conventions are abolished.
The direct nominations system is ex.
tended to congressman and governors.
State committeeman are also elected at
open primaries in G~ubernatorial years.
One of the main features of the Geran
bill is the blanket ballot. AT the cleo.
ton the names of all the candidates of
all parties and factions are grouped on
n ticket and properly designated.
No ballots are to be distributed out.
side of the polling place, but in order
to give the voters a chance to fami'-
iarize themselves with the list of candi-
dates sample ballots must be mailed at
public expense to all voters the week
before election.
The county committeeman shall be
| elected at primaries as usual and the
| county chairman shall be elected by the
| county committeeman as at present.