The Van Buren press., 1912-09-07
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.

Western Newspaper Union News Service
One of the measures to be voted
upon In the state election September
3, under the initiative and referendum,
that is attracting much attention
throughout the state, is the proposed
Act No. 3, 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
ton shall be selected. This section
of the law provides that the state
board of election commissioners shall
select the county election commits
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. 1t 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
ttIulg lut lioN VI udiHNo 90 'Nb"Ai ~
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'
" committees Of the two parties cast
ing the highest and next highest num-
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 its state or county chairmen,
designate one person to act as a
watcher nj 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
my Of the duties of the election Of
flcials.
Other sections OF the proposed
measure set specific dates upon which
The state and county boards Of com
missioners shall hold their meetings
and provide that all tho 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 general elec.