The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-12-10
SECOND
PRIMARY
ELIMINATED

Bryan -. 7,22o.76 7,S6s31 15,090.31
Blount. :. 11,164.S1 11,173.T4 22,338.55
The average voter was aston1shed
to find that this great amount of
money was being spent to obtain nom
ination for office. All candidates for
ONCE from that of governor on down
to constable will have to comply with
this law in the primary of 1912. The
above figures show that, as a rule, the
second primary is more expensive than
the first, to the candidate. 1t was so
in the case of Broward, Blount and
Bryan. The people of this state were
astonished to find that Taliaferro spent
a fortune of $2e,013.0O in the primary
of 1910. Il
Heavier Vote in Second.
The voting is always heavier in the
second primary than the first.
The official count of votes for gov
ernor in the primaries of 1908 are as
follows:
First. Second.
Primary. Primary.
J. B. Brown ......... 1886
A. W. Gilchrist ......23,24S 32,465
J. n. c. Stockton ...20,06S 1881
Total .52,302 1886
A. w. Gilchrist received AL per
cent of the votes cast in the first pri-
mary. No defeated candidate of the
first primary, as far as has been OBJ
served, can throw his supporters vote
to his favor1te in the second, primary.
The vote for United States senator
in the primary of 1910 shows:
First. Second.
Primary. Primary.
N. B. Broward .......21,146 25,7S0
Claude LEngle ...... 4.677
]. P. Taliaferro BLOT 23,193
Total 46,s00 4s,S73
It will be seen that Broward received
45 per cent of the votes cast in the
first primary.
The recent primary for United
States Senator, Qs1D was as follows:
Primary. Primary.
w. A. Blount 1858 1881
N. P. Bryan 9,549 1891
j. N. C. Stockton 80. 6,sS3 .....
Total .............so,O25 ss,s72
It is here shown that Blount re-
ceived little over 40 per cent of the
votes cast in the first primary, yet he
was defeated in the second. Our con-
tention that the first primary best
speaks the will of the people is not
lost here from the fact that cities did
most of the voting in the first primary
and the country vote was sought after
and brought out in the second by the
Bryan supporters. There was over
nine thousand votes cast in the second
primary than the first, even with
Stockton eliminated.
It would be better for both candi-
| dates and voters to dispense with the
second primary. 1t would practically
do away with the "band-wagon" voting
that is so apparent in the second con-
test.
First and Second Choice Ballot.
We suggest that the second primary
| should be eliminated by using a first
and second choice ballot, in cases
where more than two are contesting
| for the same office.
The plan is for the managers at
each Orecinct to enter in their returns
| the number Of both first and second
| choice votes for each candidate on
| the tally sheet provided therefor, and
| when the count is completed ascertain
| the total vote cast for each candidate
| and certify the same to the county
executive committee. The vote is there
| tabulated by placing the state and
| county votes on different sheets. The
| county committee then proceeds to de-
| clare the county nominees for office,
| thus: The person receiving the highest
| number, and not less than forty per
| cent Of the first choice votes, as the
| candidate of the party for an Office is
| declared the candidate for such office.
! If no candidate receives as many as
| forty per cent of the first choice votes,
| then canvass shall be made of the
second choice votes of the candidates
| for this Office. This is added to the
| first choice votes received by each
| candidate for this office, and the one
receiving the highest number of first
| and second choice votes cast shall be
| the nominee for such Office.