Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-11-01
PLANNING TO SEND OUT
100000 ESSEX BALLOTS
Of This Number 10000 Belong Newark Which Gets 5o of
the 315 Which the Votes VIII Be Cast at the
Election Next Tuesday.

The job of handling 10000 ballots.
which is approximately the number
required for a general election in
Essex county, is something that
keeps County Clerk Joseph McDon-
ough and a corps of clerks busy. but
they got away with the task this
year in fine shape, the ballots being
ready for delivery to the clerks OF
the different municipalities in the
county two full days earlier than
ever before.
The work of distributing the bal
lots was commenced on Thursday,
when those going to the outlying mu-
inequalities were sent out. Yesterday
the remainder of the county munich
palities were supplied, while at 10
o'clock this morning two big motor
truck loads carried the 10000 ballots
that supply the sixteen wards of the
city of Newark to the city clerk s
office. All told there are 1S9 boxes
of ballots for the city districts and
l26 for the county. 315 in all.
But before the ballots are ready to
be distributed. that really being the
easiest work of the entire proceed
ing. a vast amount of hard work is
entailed on the county clerk and his
chief deputy, George L. Mahr. This
has to do with the printing of the
official ballot. and for two weeks the
greater part of Mr.. Mahr's time is
spent in the plant of the printing
company that has the contract for
printing the official ballots.
| The printers copy for the official
| ballot is made UP in the county
clerks office under the direct super
/ xysSi Of Tf1a-I- Mnl0nfanftcrI oh
and Mr.. Mahr. The names of candi-
dates are verified as to spelling very
carefully. and there is also u careful
checking to see that the correct party
designation and office for which the
candidate is running Is properly
placed with his name
| Then when the ballot reaches the
printer. the individual ballot for each
of the 315 districts in the county is
again checked over as soon as the
first one of each set has been printed
to avoid any possible printers errors
This work is done by Mr.. Mahr per
sonally.
When the printers proof has beer
approved as correct the 10000 ballots
are then printed and conveyed to the
Court House, where they are placed
in a huge vault that occupies The
greater part of the space under tbs
steps leading up to the Court House
Here they are divided into the
separate bundles for each Of the 81
districts and again looked over foi
any possible error that might have
crept in uncaught by the numerous
other checks. The number of ballot;
sent out vary from 375 to SIS for this
different districts. the larger figures
going to the crowded wards in the
city. while of the smaller some go Il
the city wards where the voters ar,
few and others to the smaller of The
county municipalities, like Livingston
and Roseland.
Wooden boxes. II inches by - inches
in size, a trife larger than the officia
ballot, are provided 10 carry the bal
lots from the county clerks office t
the different municipalities. These
boxes are four inches In width, larg'
enough to hold 500 ballots, which IL
most instances is all that are sent I,
a single election district. In tn
larger districts two boxes containing
ballots are provided.
The ballots are laid in these boXe
perfectly fiat to prevent curling o
rolling and the cover is then screwe'
4 on, a screw driver going with eacl
box, so that election officers will no
have any occasion to destroy or mu
tilate any ballots in opening thu
boxes as might happen in the event
of rails being used. AS a further
safeguard against possible tamperine
with the ballots each box is heavily
sealed with wire seal and election
officers are instructed to see that the
seal is unbroken when the box reaches
| them on election day.
| After all this preparation has beer
made the boxes for each municipality
are delivered to the city. village OF
town clerk, as the case may be, by O