The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-24
COSTLY TANGLE IN
VOTING SYSTEM
Committee Will Ask Legislature
to Tell How Many Poll
Lists Are Needed.
CAUSES DELAY ON ELECTION
Method Now in Vogue Here
Regarded as Cumbersome
ana Expensive.

~ an Informal discussion OF the
present erection laws of the State. the
eouh'il committee on Printing and
Claims last night decided to cali III
the attention Of the Elch1nond dele.
cation apparent inadvcrtencies I'm The
law IN regard TO preparation OF
voting lists which entail a large mn
nual cost on the city, and make voting
SLOW and tedious. The Constitution
itiuf'S 'hat voter TO be qualified
must nave paid his cap!tation tax for
the three years preceding, al least six
months prior to the general clcc,ion
ana the Constitution saws that thr
election officers shall be Furnished with
"a hst OF the voters who have paid,
and are SO qualified. Either under
some statute or under the construc-
tlon placed ON the law by the Rich
m"nd officials. election Judges are fur
nished with three lists instead Of one.
NHen citizen orcrs to vote he is
delayed until his raInc Is found OIL
thFee separate printed lists. each OF
them voluminous books. Willis there
are approximately 10000 justified
voters In Richmond-that Is, voters
VINO nave paid for ali three years and
'thus are entitled to vote-proDably
twice that number have paid for one
oil the three years past and so are
listed on ono OF tho three lists fur
nishcd election Judges. therefore
having TO Gull through twice as many
names as is really necessary to find
whether the applicant is entitled TO
vote.
Instances were cited of citizens with
important business who had artuaIy
LEFT the rolling precincts without
voting, after being DELAYED for some
time, while the Judges searched first
one list and then another to see
whether they were qualified.
-sddItionnI EXPENSE 10 city.
In addition to this delay. great c1-
pensa is entaned on the city. The
clerk of the Hastings Court. vino max cs
oui ihis list, Is entitled to ) cents for
cach ten words, counting initials US
words. Instead of furnishing one ISL
OF tho actually qualified votcrs-possi-
ply 10000 names of three words each
tho custom has been to furnish three
separate lists. With largely increased
number OF names, making the fees for
copying three or four times what is
necessary
City Printer clyde W. Saunders. who
was present at the meeting. said that
were the list limited to those who were
actually qualified TO vote in the elcc.
'loh ior which II Is made instead Of
listing each name three times and in
Guiding all of the names who had made
rs many as one payment in three years
the saving in printing cost alone cor
each general election would be more
than $500. Mr.. Saunders said tina
when member of the commission
which corrected tho voting lists after
the annexation Of 1906. he had mad.
recommendations for single list of tho
actually qualified voters to be fur,
nishcd To tile judges st each precinc;
SO that there might be no question
when any one presents himself, wheth-
or OF not his name appears. but tina,
the plan, which liz believed would
save several thousand dollars i year
ana be OF great convenience 10 the
voting public. had never been followed
Members of tn" committee will take
the matter UP with the Richmond del
egat!on in the General Assembly in ca Sc
any simplihcation OF the Statute OF
the subject Is found To be needed