The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1912-04-12
New Election Laws

No less than seven important cleo
ton laws have been enacted at this
session of the Legislature, in addition
to number of local laws.
The party measure introduced by
Senator Bosley and signed by Governor
Crothers at the beginning of the ses-
sion was the first. This act repeats
the Wilson law, but retained for the
Wilson law counties certain features
which do not apply to the rest of the
State. 1t provides that in the counties
in which the Wilson law was in force
the names of the candidates must be
arranged alphabetically under the name
of the Office for which the nominee is a
candidate. 1t prohibits the publication
or use of sample ballots and the use of
any mechanical device or memorandum
to aid the voter. The Wilson law coun-
ties were Anne Arundel, Calvert,
Charles, Dorchester, Kent, Prince
Georges, Queen Anne's, ST. Mary's
Somerset, Talbot and Worcester.
The Bosley-H arper bill was the next.
This bill removes Queen Anne's and
Dorchester from the group of Wilson
law counties and amends the general
election law of the State by limiting
the party designation on the official
ballot to single word. 1t will now be
illegal to designate candidate on the
official ballot as an Independent Rep
ublican" or as a Progressive Demo
GRAFT" Some other designation for in
dependent candidates must be in
vented.
The third is the Harper bill relating
to the overvoting in any group of can
didates. In the present law if per-
son votes for more candidates for a
certain Office than are to be elected, it
invalidates the entire ballot Under
the Harper law it will invalidate only
the vote for the candidates so over
marked. For instance, under the ex-
listing law if person votes for five
candidates for the House of Delegates
when only six are to be elected, the
entire ballot will be cast out. Under
the Harper bill the ballot would be
counted except as to the vote for the
Legislature.
The Primary Election law is another.
This law was passed at the beginning
of the session before the term of Cover
nor Crothers expired and was signed by
him as one of party pledges. This law
was mainly designed to clear up all I'M
certainties in the Lee Primary law of
1910. 1t abolishes the third choice in
expressing preferences and prohibits as
eIectioneering the handing ballot to a
voter within 100 feet of the polls. 1t
requires strictly for adding candi-
dates second choice votes to his first
choice votes under certain conditions.
The law was enacted as fulfilment of
one OF the Democratic platform pledges.
The Harper Presidential Primary bill
is probably the most interesting of all.
This bill provides for primary election
in May. Each candidate for the
Presidency who files a certificate with
the Secretary Of State, accompanied by
the payment of $40 for each county and
legislative district, will be entitled to
have his name on the official ballot.
The one who carries the counties and
districts represented by a majority of
the delegates in the State convention
will be entitled to have the delegates
to the National Convention instructed
for him. There is also to be square
on the official ballot to vote for an unin-
structed delegation.
President Prices Senatorial Primary
bill requires the names of candidates
for the United States Senate to be
printed on the official ballot at the
November election when Legislature
is elected which will appoint a Federal
Senator In order to prevent the nomi-
nation of a Democratic candidate for
the Senate by Republicans or the nomi-
nation of Republican candidate by
Democrats it is provided in the Price
bill that a vote for Senator shall not be
counted unless the voter also votes for