The Green Forest tribune., 1912-09-06
PEOPLE TO PASS
 ON ELECTION LAW
Will Vote in September on Pro- posed Changes in Present
 Statutes.
PARTIES TO NAME BOARDS
Measure Also Provides for Regular Public Meetings of State and
 County Commissioners.
Wsstern N.wxnaDer Union New, Service.

Western Newspaper Union News Service. One of the measures to be voted upon in the state election September 9, under the initiative and referendum, that is attracting much attention throughout the state, is the proposed Act No. 8, which seeks to amend the present election laws of Arkansas. Many attacks have been made in the past upon the election laws of the state, but the adoption of the initiative and referendum has given the first op- portunity of submitting to the vote of the people the question of changing the existing laws. The voters will be called upon in the September election to voice their opinion on this long mooted question as well as upon the other issues that have been raised by the initiative measures.
 One of the principal provisions of the proposed new law is that which gives the two leading political parties of the state the right to submit lists of names from which the county election commissioners and the judges of cleo tion shall be selected. This section of the law provides that the state board of election commissioners shall select the county election commis- sioners from lists of qualified electors certified to it by the chairmen of the state committees of the two political parties whose candidates for governor received the highest and next highest number of votes in the last preceding general election. It is provided that the chairman of each of these parties shall certify the names of at least three persons for each county and that the state board of commissioners shall appoint two persons from one of these lists and one from the other to constitute the county boards Of election commissioners. In the event that the chairman of party fails to certify the list of names as required under the act, the state board is en- powered to select some member of that party as county commissioner.
 In the same manner, the county boards of election commissioners are required to select the election judges for the various precincts from lists furnished by the chairmen of the coun- ty committees of the two parties cast ing the highest and next highest mum. Der of votes in the county in the last preceding general election. The coun- ty chairmen are required to submit the names of not less than three quail fled electors from each voting pre- cinct and the commissioners are re- quired to select two men from one list and one from the other to serve as judges. The judges of election of each party are to appoint one clerk at each precinct:
 Another section of the law provides that any organized political party may, through it's state or county chairmen, designate one person to act as watcher at each polling precinct where no election judge for that party has been named. These watchers are to be permitted to observe all the acts of the judges and clerks from the time the polls are opened until the result is certified, but are not to be permitted to interfere with or perform any of the duties of the election of ficials.
 Other sections of the proposed measure set specific dates upon which the state and county boards of con- missioners shall hold their meetings and provide that all the sessions of the boards shall be public. The state board is required to meet in the gov ernor's office on the second Monday in July, next preceding a general cleo