Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1911-08-05
The Coming Primaries.

answer TO an inquiry from tne
Election Supervisors of Talbot
County has given the following
information:
1.-THE law prescribes that the
primary shall be held for all
parties which polled ten percent
of the vote cast at the last pre-
ceding general election in the
State. Every person who wishes
to be a candidate in the prima-
ry for any nomination must file
a certificate of candidacy with
the Board of Supervisors of
Election, which certificate must
be in the form prescribed by
sections 100 G. and l60-K of the
law, and must be filed fifteen
days before the date of the pri
mary. If only one person files
certificate of candidacy with
the Supervisors of Elections for
a particular nomination, then
the Supervisors must give to
such person a certificate of can
didacy and his name shall not
be printed on the primary cleo.
ton ballot of his party or be
voted for in such primary. This
applies to the nominations of
all parties for any Office and
disposes of your second, third
and fourth questions.
"As stated above, if a person
has no opposition in his own
party as a candidate for a par
ticular office, he must, never
theless, file his certificate with
the Supervisors, and then if no
one else files a certificate of
candidacy in the same party for
the same nomination, the per-
son who files the certificate
BECOMES THE PARTY NOM
NEE. Such person must de-
posit with the Supervisors the
sum of money which the law
declares must accompany his
certificate, and this sum must
be turned over by the Supervi-
sors to the county.
"The Primary election law
provides that primary elections
shall be by registered voters.
and that the voting shall be
from and upon the registration
books. The only case in which
the law makes provision author
izing a person, whose name is
not upon the registration books,
to, vote is the case Of a man not
yet twenty-one years of age,
but who will become twenty
one years of age in time to be
duly registered for the next
general election in November
in the precinct in which he
offers to vote. As the law makes
no provision for the person who
has moved into this State from
another State and has acquired
the right to register and vote in
the general elections, but who
has not so registered at the time
of the primaries, | must hold +,
although | do so reluctantly,
that all such persons are not
entitled to vote in the prima-
ries.
II submitted this question to
the committee of lawyers APP
pointed by the Chairman of the
Democratic State Central Com
mittee to confere with me upon
the primary election law, and
they all hold views above ex-
pressed upon the point here un-
der consideration. All these
gentlemen consider that, under
the law, only those persons
who are on the registration
books will be entitled TO a vote
in the primaries, with the sim
gle exception, for which the
law makes special provision, of
the person not yet twentyone
years of age, but who will at
tain that age on or before the
next general election day, so as
to become entitled to register
and vote at the general election.
"All persons duly registered
as qualified voters are ENTITL-
ED TO VOTE IN THE PRI-
MARES OF THAT PARTY
TO WHICH THEY BELONG
AND WHOSE CANDIDATES
THEY SAY THEY WILL
SUPPORT. The matter as to
whom they voted for at a for
mer or preceding election has
nothing whatever to do with
their right TO vote in the prI-
maries."
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