Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1912-03-28
PARTY REGISTRATION
ELECTION Law
ENACTED BY 1911 LEGISLATURE
TO PERPEPUATE POLITICAL
PARTIES

The party registration amendment
to the North Dakota primary election
law has been the subject of general
comment since the recent primary
election, when it was claimed that
voters of one party called for bal
lots of another party. The party
registration amendment was passed
to avoid just such occurrences and
the law as enacted by the 1911 leg
islature is published below. There
has already been some question as to
the constitutionality of certain pro-
visions of the act and amendment,
but until there has been test case
the law will hold. The registration
by the assessors as described below
will occur in April and May, the first
primary following, in June, and
therefore the law will be in force at
that election.
The assessors are required to get
the political affiliations of each vot-
er during the months of April and
May. This will supersede the old reg
istration boards and records and will
be the registrations for the June
primaries. No one not on this list
prepared by the assessors can par
eicipate in the June primaries with
out swearing in their vote. There
will be no other form of registration.
When voters come to the primaries
in June they will be given ballots ac-
cording to the declaration made to
the assessors.
The assessor gets 10 cents for ev--
cry name. This will be a large ex-
pense, but on the other hand it elm
mates the old registration boards,
which formerly sat on two different
dates before each election.
There is another question. The
new law says all "voters" must make
declaration. Women are voters for
state, county and school matters and
are entitled to participate in the nomr
nations at the primaries. Should
there be republican and democratic
candidates at the primaries, it is just
as necessary the women should have
declared their political attitude and
be registered.
The new law follows:
Section 4. CAS- amended, Laws
of 1919 party registration to be re-
quired when.) A party registration
of the voters in their respective poll
tical parties shall be taken in each
precinct of this state in the follow
ing manner: In the months of April
and May of each even numbered year
in which primary election is held,
the assessor of each district shall at
the time he makes his assessment of
the real and personal property take
down in an enrolment book the
name of each voter in his district,
grouping alphabetically and accord
ing to the order such voters in SUBJ
stantially the following form: u
In the form as outlined the county
city, ward or election precinct is
named and from the voter his name,
address, age, nativity, street number,
and party affiliations are required.
The date and the enrolment number
complete the requirements Of the
form. The law then continues as
follows:
And also have each voter sign and
swear to before the assessor or notary
as the case may be q registration
blank "a" which shall be in the fol-
fowing form:
State of North Dakota-ss
County of -------
l, the undersigned, elector do sol
emnly swear or affirm that my name
and signature as signed below is my
true name and signature. II I have
not personally signed 1t, it is because
- and It was signed at my re-
quest by the attesting officer. My
age is years and occupation
---- ) nativity naturalized
or declared by intention in --- =.
court in county state. on
10, as appears BY the natu-
ralization papers exhibited herewith.
Present residence is in section .
township , range county.
-, North Dakota; (or Il IN N city g
orstownl at No. street In the city
of postoffice address -----.
i belong to the party; that I
have resided: In this state Tor oneyear
immediately preceding this alectlcn, q,