The copper era and Morenci leader., 1914-03-20
SUPERVISORS WILL ELECT THIS YEAR
 AS BEFORE
Law Provided for SupervisoraI Dis tricts Creation Too Late for Nomin- ation of Candidates at Primary.
GILMORE
 ADVISES. THE BOARD.
Looks Like the Legislature Pulled Off Another "Bonehead" in Matter of SupervisoraI Districts in State.

County Attorney Gilmore of Tomb stone has presented to the county board of supervisors of Cochise coun- ty the following opinion regarding the law providing for the election of supervisors from districts instead of at large as heretofore. The law can- not become effective this year. The opinion is as follows:
 For this department I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 17th inst. relating to a construction of Chapter 51 of the laws of the regular session of the first state legislature, as amended, in respect to the operation of that chapter upon the election of supervisors at the general election to be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of this year.
 "The amendments to that act be- came operative October 1st, 1913, and had no bearing upon the law in so far as this opinion is concerned. Section of the act, and as carried into the Code of 1913, is as follows:
 '' Section l. The boards of super visors of the several counties of the state shall have the power and it shall be their duty to meet at the county seats in their respective counties on the first Monday in Sep tember next preceding a general cleo tion for state and county officers, and divide their several counties into three supervisoral districts each, which districts shall be numbered, re- spectively, one, two and three. Said supervisors shall define the bound aries and limits of each district, so fo1 ho1 aoIy oh division in such manner that the said districts shall be as nearly equal in population and assessed valuation of property as is possible. Such dis tricting of counties may be submitted to the vote of the qualified voters of the county wherein made, not less than two weeks, nor more than thirty days, after the said action of the board of supervisors. Such elections shall be conducted in all respects as other referendum elections are con- ducted. Should the majority vote be cast for such districting, the county shall thereafter elect supervisors within such district as hereinafter provided
 'cH will be observed that the re- distficting of the various counties of the state into supervisoral districts by the board of supervisors shall be made on the first Monday in Septem- Der next preceding the general cleo tion for state and county officers. The first Monday in September, pre- ceding the next general election, falls on the 7th of that month. Under the provisions of the primary law, the primary for the next general election will be held on the eighth Tuesday prior to the next general election, which falls on the third day of No vember. The next primary election, therefore, will fall on the Sth day of September. It, therefore,, appears that the next primary election will be held one day after the date pre- scribed for the redistricting of the various counties of the state into supervisoral districts. It is obvious, therefore, that the boards of super visors of the various counties of the supervisoral districts before the time prescribed by law for the filing of nomination papers by candidates for boards of supervisors in view of the fact that Section of the primary law prescribes that persons desiring to become candidates at a primary election shall file his nomination petition not less than twenty nor more than sixty days before the pri- mary election. In view of this fact, it is the opinion of this department that candidates for supervisors in the various counties of the state will not be affected by Chapter 51, supra, but they should be nominated and elected from the county at large, as has heretofore been the custom, rather than from supervisoral dis trictS."