Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-11-02
PREPARING THE BALLOT.

Many of the voters will take their leisure
hours tomorrow to prepare their ballot for the
election Tuesday. The sample ballots are now
in the hands of every citizen and they can be
marked just as the voter wishes to vote at the
election. These sample ballots can then be
taken to the polling place and the marks
copied off on the official ballot which will be
handed the voter when he enters the polls.
New Jersey, it will be noticed, has fourteen
electors. In other words, no matter how big a
popular vote Woodrow Wilson or any of the
presidential candidates may receive OF Tues
day in this state, the candidate will receive
only fourteen votes from New Jersey. The
popular way of looking at the election is that
if Wilson should get the majority of popular
votes in New jersey the fourteen electors, I'M
der the TTaaafng s'Democrat,' would be the
ones to vote for a President. AS a matter Of
fact, however, the voters do not vote for Viii
son at all, but instead votes for the fourteen
electors who are grouped as Democrats and
who are pledged to cast their ballots for Viii
son when the electoral college meets. The
same is true Of every other party, whether Re
publican, Progressive, National Prohibition,
Socialist or Socialist Labor.
Realizing, however, that the country has
outgrown this electoral system Of choosing a
President and that in reality it is the people
themselves who should make the choice, the
Geran law, under the provisions of which our
present ballot is prepared, provides that OPP
- IL. $1,000 Il A. .,m,Inr%,o1 topII-
dates, and Immediately above the squares OPP
posite the names of the fourteen electors for
the respective parties, is a square larger than
the other fourteen. This is put there for the
purpose of facilitating the vote. If a voter
does not care to put an tx" opposite each one
of the fourteen names grouped under the party
he prefers, he can put one III the big
square at the top opposite the names OF the can
didates running for President which will signi-
fy that he votes for the entire fourteen electors
for that party, and will answer the purpose
the same as if he put a separate X III each
one Of the little squares opposite the fourteen
names. Therefor, if a voter wishes to vote for
Wilson and Marshall he will search through
the two first columns on the ballot until he
comes to the word democrat" Immediately
under which are the names of the candidates,
Wilson and Marshall. This party will be
found at the bottom of the second column. I'M
mediately after the names Wilson and Mar
shall and at the top Of the squares for the four
teen electors will be found one big square.
Put an OK" in this big square and the voter
is sure of having his ballot counted in favor
Of Wilson.
But if he desires to vote for Roosevelt, he
will find in the middle of the first column the
word Progressive" Immediately under
which are the names Roosevelt and Johnson,
followed by the fourteen electors of that party.
By putting an OK" in the big square oppo-
site Roosevelt and Johnson, the ballot will be
recorded for Roosevelt. The same is true re-
garding the other parties. No attention need
be paid to the fourteen electors.
Having made one tx" with a black lead
pencil in one or the other of the large squares