Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-09-14
NEW PRIMARY LAW WORKS
WELL

Hawaii's first nominating election under the
new direct primary law has brought a number
of lessons and suggestions for needed amend
ments to the law.
On the whole, the new method of nominating
party candidates worked just as successfully as
its supporters had hoped. 1t provided free
and untrammeled expression of opinion on the
part of voters as to the men they wished to see
run for office. It's main drawback-that of fail
ing to keep voters of one party from partici-
pating in the nominations of candidates of an
other party-can hardly be overcome except by
some rigid plan that would make an elector de-
clare his party allegiance and receive ballot
containing the names only of candidates run
ming under that single party designation. Such
plan would have two manifest disadvantages
lit would prevent the large growing element
Of independent voters from casting their bal
lots according to their Judgment, and it would
Increase the election machinery to the point OF
unwieldiness Handling three or four big blan
ket ballots would be no easy or quick task fol-
election officials.
One noticeable fact of Saturday S voting was
that it proceeded rapidly and smoothly. The
much-feared difficulty in voting the new ballot
proved nothing but myth In most precinct;
the voting was the fastest in many elections
Any voter of ordinary intelligence, it was
shown, can cast the new form Of ballot without
any particular difficulty or delay. This is am
bly, proved BY the comparative statistics of bal
lots cast and ballots thrown out the percentage
Of the latter being 50 small as to be nearly negi
eible.
The election machinery under the new law
IS shown to be good. One or two minor amend
ments are necessary. For one thing, a great
deal of absolutely useless labor was caused cleo
Ion officials at the polling booths by the sec
Ton of the act of 1913 which requires full re
|urns to be made not only to the secretary OF thu
territory, the county clerk and the chairman o.
the election commission, but to the territorial
and country chairmen of each political party
The precinct officials, after counting most O
Saturday night and IN many cases most Of Sun
|6r morning. then were compelled to make on
distinct sets of rules 10 Of which arr
..'|e super1uous.
Another amendment, suggested by some, bu
.. whose wisdom will have to be considered, i
.| tie names of candidates receiving less thai
||r/.in small percentage of votes in tn
.1ar1 should be automatically dropped, j
..I probable that their names would onl,
..|Ier the general election ballot with no pos
Witty whatever of election
+. general, it may be said of the new Law
LIE It makes too long a primary campaign
aI may be obviated by lessening the length
time before the primary election required
.I candidates to file their nomination papers
candidates for delegate file month befor
..t nominating election and those for legisla
.<8 and municipal Offices file two weeks befor
..e election, il will shorten the stamping cam
..;tn and should not hurt any candidate
.I1hces. AIS it is now, the primary campaign
|esides being burden of expense upon tn
.h0idate, is tiresome to most of the voters
Both party organizations we're drawn into tn
Urinary campaign this year The longer tn
primary maneuvering, the greater is the eS
1ense. the greater the possibility of factiona
|clts in the parties, the greater the exhaustlo
.one IN advance Of the real campaign Half
the candidates strength and most of the cleo
|orate's patience are spent before party nomi
Iees are chosen.
But these are minor details that are easy Q
e.7-1 - 1s TaiIE IOvE7 It is kind of