Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-05-16
INSIDE LIGHT
!. ONPREFERENT|AL
VOTING MEASURE
Information That May Be of
Value to Orange Voters at
Tuesdays Election.
HOW VARIOUS CHOICES
FIGURE IN THE RESULT
With Fifty-three Candidates in
the Field a Selection by
Majority Not Likely.

There are five commissioners to be
chosen at the election to be held in
the city of Orange next Tuesday.
The successful five will enter upon
their official duties ten days imme-
diately following their election.
It will be the first experience the
people of Orange will have with the
Hennessy preferential voting act, So
called. This act is one of several
amendments or supplements to the
commission government measure,
known as the Walsh act.
Under its provisions voter must
express Ave first choice preferences,
as there are five offices to be filled.
If he doesn't vote for five first
choices, whether he is disposed to or
not, his ballot Will be rejected.
II he votes for more than five first
choices his ballot is also nullified, as
the law distinctly adrnonishes the
voter to vote only as many first
ohoices or second choices or third
choices as there are officers to elect.
AS to Other Choices.
But there doesn't appear to be any
limitation to voting so far as a
fourth or other succeeding choices
the citizen may vote as many fourth
or other choices as you WISH
How this might offset results in the
event of first, second and third
choice figures failing to give a ma
jority vote for "a candidate, and the
fourth and fifth indiscriminate choices
being called into play to effect a
majority is not made clear 1t may
be matter for adjustment by the
city clerk.
The law vests the city clerk with
powers and responsibilities In the
preliminaries leading up to election
day and in the matter of count and
returns following election.
Take the election in 1ryington last
Tuesday as q case in point. The pro-
claimed object and purpose of the
preferential law were to guarantee
that any person elected to office under
the operations of the Hennessy law
would have a majority Of all the
votes cast, This idea failed it being
found both impracticable and impos-
sible. Not a single candidate Of the
five declared elected i'm Irvington re-
eeived majority of the votes cast,
even by the aggregated votes of first,
second, third, fourth and other
choices.
The Iryington Case.
Mahlon Stockman, the high man in
the Irvington election. received 663
flrst choices. 12S second choices, 26
third choices and other choices,
bringing his total up to 81. To be-
come a majority choice his tally
should have been 1,023, as 2,045 ballots
were cast.
There were thirty-three candidates
on the Iryington ballot. There viii
be fifty three on the Orange ballot,
If on the first count of ballots the
totals of any Of the first-choice can
didates do not show a. majority of the
votes polled a canvass of second
choice votes will be made and added
to the first, and If the majority figure
is not then reached d count of the
third choices will be made and the
result added to the first and second
choice totals.
Failing to come up to the majority
point after adding first, second and
third choice votes together, recourse
will be had to the other choices. If
the loo<ed-for result-that is, ma
jority figure-is not shown, then
Daniel +. Minahan. city clerk of Or
ange, will follow the course taken by
Clerk John w Wehman, of Irvington,
and declare elected the five candidates
receiving the highest number of votes,
regardless of the majority proposition.
A salvation Clause.
This safeguard or salvation clause,
as some describe it, is contained in
Section of the law, bracketed I'D.
II reads as follows;
''If the full number of candidates
TO be elected do not receive q ma
jority by adding first, second and
third choice votes. as above directed,
a canvass shall then be made OF the
other choice votes received by those
candidates for said office who are no
elected, ether by first-choice votes or
by adding first and second-cfo ee
votes, or by adding first, second and
third-choice votes. said other choice
votes shall be added to the first, Sec
ond ard third choice votes received
by sueai candidates. and the candi-
dates equal in number to the number
OF officers, remaining TO be I'll ed VINO
receive the highest number OF votes
by the said addition shall be elected
The clause quoted above is assisted
In pulling the election proposition, as
1t applies to q majority out OF
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