Norwich bulletin., 1912-04-30
ALBERT s. BARD HEARD.
Gave Illuminating Address on Differ.
 ent Kind of Ballots.

President Haviland then introduced Albert s. Bard of New York city. for merly of Norwich. who gave an inter eSting and instructive talk on the ballot, illustrating his talk with speci- mems of the ballots in use in different communities, one of which, from New York, was in the neighborhood of ten feet in length. He spoke as follows:
 The history of the Australian ballot in the United States goes back to about the year 1889. in which year the pure Australian ballot was adopted in Massachusetts and a modified Aus
 Talian ballot in Indiana.
 Ballot reform came in primarily in an effort to prevent fraud and intimi- dation (both moral and physical) at the polls.
 The great differences in the forms of the ballots which still exist in the various states would seem to indicate that there is not even yet any very general understanding of the import anee of the form.
 There are two principal types of ballots in use in the United States The party column or New York type. somewhat similar to the Indiana ballot adopted in 1889. and the ofice-g group or Massachusetts type, in which the names of the candidates for the re- spectiVe offices appear but once. group ed under the name of offices with the name of the party or parties putting them in nomination printed after each candidates name. With this type of
 ballot each individual candidate is marked.
 About 30 states use the party-col- umn type and about Is the Massachu- lat TEs FE4F FaE IL.
 states adopted the Massachusetts form or 0allot-one was California, which | abandoned the party column for the Massachusetts typo, and the other wa New Jersey, which had been using in 1 part ballots with an official envelope similar to that formerly used in Con- nectieW, and in part ths voting ma ehins. This was one of the most noted l reforms accomplished by Gov, Wood
 row Wilson during the first year of his 1 administration.
 The form of tho ballot should bs suef as ts guarantee; A. The absolute equality af voters at the pollE so far as hessihis, Jha ballot should not ] favor ots class of voters st the s1- 1 PeHbe If others, b, T.hs absolute equal - l ity of candidates and parties. EveFy individual and every party should Sotl p|tS N4th every FlRa1 upon dDSB-
 lutely equal terms at the polls. C, That ballots are easy te mark mat ing tAs expressing Of the voters choice easy,
 These results are to be obtained. l. l Fly making the ballots as simple as ] possible in their form and freeing hem from confusing and complicated par deuiafs !, By requiring all marking ] t6 be d5ns in 8Hly 8Aa way and rfs= ! cis6iN the same way for all,
 1 ] have studied the ballot of nearly
 every state in the uhien, Ia my oBin- 1 i0H lhe Massachusetts ballot is the ] best of all the ballots, It is imBer1ani i to note that the new New Jersey bal
 lot is practically an exact duplicate | et the Massachusetts ballet With all 1 the ballots to cheese frem New Jer- l sey adopted the Massachusetts ballet ! Throughout his tive terms of office ! Governor Hughes iR New York urged upon his state the abandonment of the
 party column pallet and the adoption
 et the Massachusetts form Phe many i perpiexlties and difficulties attending l the use of the party -caluIaA ballot in
 New York have given rise te much
 dissatisfaction and even litigation l Governor Hughes recommended the
 cutting of all sneh knots al one hloR 1 by the adoption of the Massachusetts l ballot. He described it as "a simple form of ballot which will put parties candidates and voters respectively eE