Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1913-05-08
The Primary Law.

Primary Election Law by Attor-
ney General Garnett, in reply to
numerous requests upon him for
information:
In the first place you ask us
to interpret the clause which re-
quires a voter to ask for either a
democratic or republican ballor.
Second, does this clause do away
with independent voting? Third,
is it possible for a democratic
voter to write the name of a re-
publican, who is seeking a nomi-
nation for office, in the blank
space usually reserved on the
democratic ballot, and have such
vote counted as a vote for that
name as a democratic nominee,
or will it be counted as a repub-
lican vote?
In the first place the primary
election law is designated for the
sole purpose Of nominating can
didates of the dominant parties.
Ny section 3. the nominating
candidates by the political parties
as hereinafter defined, is specific
ally provided. By section 5 of
the act, a political party, within
the meaning Of the act, is defin-
ed to be an organization of voters
and which at the last preceding
Presidential election cast at least
twenty per cent Of the votes in
the entire State. So the act ap-
plies only to regularly organized
parties which cast twenty per
of the votes in the last Presi-
dental election and such parties
are required to make their NOM
ination in the primary.
"This act does not repeal the
provisions Of the old law, which
provided for nominations by pc
titions only by conventions for
the political parties not included
in the provisions of the recent
act.
Independent voters should not
have a right, nor are they au-
'lthorized by the law, to vote in
the primary elections. Inde-
pendent and other parties would
have a perfect right to meet in
convention or to take the sense
of the independent voters in any
way they please, and they there
by might endorse nominees of
the regular party. The other
than democratic, republican and
progressive parties, are not re.
stricted by this law to any partic.
ular method of making theii
nomination, nor are they limited
to any particular time. Somucf
for the question of Independent
voters. Section 10 Of the acr
provides as follows:
I'm addition to the specia
qualifications hereinafter provid
ed the same qualifications O
electors shall apply in primar.
elections held under this act a
are now required in regular e
lections. Said qualification
! shall be determined as of tn
date of the date of the primary
: without regard to the qualifica
: tions or disqualifications as the
may exist at the succeeding reg
ular election. In precincts wher
5 registration is required no eleC
; tor, except those entitled to b
, specially registered as hereinaf
ter provided, shall be entitled t
: vote in any primary unless he i
Q registered in the registration
}. book of said precinct for the sue
$ ceeding year, as affiliating wit
\ the party whose ballot he offer
J. to vote. If not registered h
Q shall not be entitled to vote tn
ballot Of the party with whic'
he is registered, and no other
= In other precincts qualified eleC
!, tors shall be allowed to vote onl
the ballot of that party wit
: which they declare their afiilis
!, ton.
h Under this section, it will b
g clearly seen that in cities wher
Il registration is required, a perso
n who is registered as a democrat
would not be entitled to an
d should not receive from the cler
!, other than a democratic ballot
n likewise a person registered as
republican would not be entitle
:. to and should not receive othC
than a republican ballot. In tn
o counties and cities where regi