The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1913-11-28
REGISTRATION LAW
IS TERMED INVALID.
SUPREME COURT FAILS TO up
HOLD The MEASURE.
Glaring Defects In Act BY
Last Legislative Assembly
Defined In Decision.

Justice Moore writing the opinion.
the Supreme Court in the case of the
City of Portland against John B.
Coffey, county clerk al Multnomah
county, decided that tn permanent
I'registration law, passed at ~ recent
session of the legislature, is inSalid.
As result the old registration laws
in effect.
Justice Moore bases his opinion upon
defects in the permanent registration
law. one of which might prevent a
person otherwise entitled to vote from
doing SO. He says if certificate of
registration held by person who had
registered. but had moved from the
precinct in which be registered should
be destroyed. under the act the voter
could not thereafter exercise the right
of suffrage. The opinion says, in part /:
ANY eleotor [under the aot) who
may complete his residence during the
period in which the registers are closed
or who may attain the age of 81 years.
may register during the a period Of
four mouths next preceding the clos
ing of the registration for the election
in which he desires to vote. (Section
~
AS long as an eleotor resides in the
precinct from which be registers he
shall not be required to register again
unless he shall fail to vote at any gen.
oro1 oIookior o~ ~oIoee ha nbaroaa h ;c
political affiliatlon. (Section 49,
When an elector removes from a
precinct in which he is registered and
gains residence in another precinct, he
must register hy surrendering to the
county clerk has certificate of regis
tration to be cancelled.
1t will be remem berad that section
of the enactment declared that no
eleotor who is not registered shall be
entitled to vote at any state election,
provided that in case the Supreme
Court should hold the above provisions
for compulsory registration invalid,
then, and in that case only. the elect
or may register with the Judges of
election upon election day.
Examining other provisions of the
act it will be kept in mind that when
an eleotor is registered he shall re
ceive from the county clerk dupli-
cate copy of registration as a oertii
cate Of election. When an elector
moves from one precinct in which he
is registered and gains a residence in
another precinct be is required to reg
lister ty surrendering to the proper
official his certificate of registration
and causing his former registration to
be cancelled.
In case such certificate of regis
tration has teen lost or has been de-
stEoyed in any natural calamity, such
elector shall produce before the off,
cial registrar, or the county clerk,
two witnesses. who shall sign an affi-
davit under oath that suoh is the
fact.
From the language thus quoted it
is fairly to be implied that nuless the
eleotor can sutstantiate in the man
ner prescribed the fact of the loss Of
bis certificate. or that it has been de-
stroyed in some natural calamity, the
voter cannot therefore exercise his
right Of suffrage. Hence if the certi-
ficate were torn up by child or de-
stroyed ty pup or any animal. his
right to vote in any election is for
ever gone, the unreasonableness Of
which provision would seem quite
apparent.