Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1912-10-31
Proposed By Initiative Petition.

Providing that grand Iuries, In lnves'
~tlgating elections, may open ballot
boxes, compel the production Of registrar
ton lists, voting lists and tally sheetsI
providing for trials on indictments re-
turned In such Investigations; prescribing
the manner of selection and the quaIifica"
lions Of election officials; requiring po-
Ilcemen to be stationed In and near
polling places in certain cities and pre-
scrlbirg the manner of voting therein
Proposed amendment to the Constitu-
tion Ct Missouri, to be submitted to the
legal voters thereof, for their approval OF
rejection, at the regular general election
to be held on Tuesday, the fifth day OF
November, A. D. 1912, and empowering
grand juries to investigate offenses COM
mitted in elections, to return indictments
thereon. and providing for the trial upon
such indictments in the courts; also pro-
| viding for the manner of conducting cleo
lions, the duties of officers and voters
with reference thereto, and the quall1lca-
lions and selection of judges and clerks
Of election throughout the state and In
cities of 5000 inhabitants or more.
Section 1. The ballot shall emain Sc
cret in Missouri, but where crime mas
been committed in any election secrecy
shall yield to justice, and no impeachment
shall be placed in the way OF the de-
lection, prosecution and conviction OF the
guilty. The investigation of all elections
in which it is sought to open ballot boxes
in search Of crime shall be conducted by
a grand Jury composed of competent, in
ttt-.- u.Atuo., - htnh rnnrnl nhnrans
ter. Such grand jury shall have power
to compel the production Of registration
lists, voting lists, tally sheets and all
documentary evidence of every KIND;
also to compel the production OF ballot
boxes, to open the same and examine the
ballots; also to subpoena witnesses ana
take their testimony: also to compare any
uarl Cl the evidence, oral, written or print
ed, with any other part OF the evidence.
Voters may state under oath what their
ballots were as voted. The jury, grand
or petit, shall decide under the law and
all the facts whether or not ballots have
been willfully and knowingly tempered
with, or changed, or misread, or falsely
counted, or false ballots placed In their
stead. Upon any indictment returned o
speedy public trial shall be had, and the
ballots and documentary and oral evil
dence considered by the grand jury, and
other competent evidence, may be intro
duceu in the trial under the rules OF law.
A grand jury, for the investigation Of
elections as above provided, shall DO
called in each county n in any city
with a government independent of the
county, by the several judges throughout
the state empowered by law to call grand
%juries, within thirty days after each gem
eral election, or II a judicial circuit or
district Is composed Of several counties,
then at the next term Of the court there's
\ after. Such grand jury shall take the
! place of a regular annual grand jury,
! now provided for by law to Investigate
elections and for other purposes, and
when convened shall possess all the pow
ers as to Investigations and the indict-
ment of offenders for felonies and mis-
demeanors possessed by a regular grand
Jury. 1t is hereby made the imperative
duty Of the judge Of the court to specifio-
ally charge such grand jury to investi-
gate the preceding general election, OF
he may charge them to investigate Of
tenders in other elections not barred
under the law by Limitation. 9
Section II. Competent persons who re-
ceive the protection Of the law shall
owe 1t to the state to act as election
officials, and individuals Of the very high.