The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-08-05
MUST PRINT BALLOTS EARLIER
Voter May Claim Ballot Ten Days
Before the Election and After
Making AFFIDAVIT May Mail Ballot
to Reach Inspectors on Election Day.

Kenosha people are not going to
have any excuse for not voting in the
future as this morning Clerk Jones of
the county received from the secretary
Of state new law providing for yot-
ing by mail and it is now in effect. 1t
is called the "Absent Voters Law
and under it man may be in San
Francisco sand yet cast his ballot in
Kenosha. He can go even further and
be in Cuba, Mexico City or in the
Canadian Northwest on election day
and still take part in an election held
in Kenosha. His distance away from
home liz only limited to the distance
that he can travel in ten days. How
ever, he must have been in Kenosha at
least ten days previous to the election.
The law puts another lot of red tape
on the town officials and the city clerk
but at that it is thought that the law
will prove popular 1t will revolu-
tionize plans for elections in the city
and county in the future and in order
to take care Of the absent voters it
will be necessary for the election
ballots to be issued at least ten days
before the election.
The law provides that not less than
three nor more than ten days before
any election any voter who expects to
be absent from his voting precinct on
election day may appeal to the town
chairman, or city clerk, for a ballot.
He must make affidavit that he is
regularly registered voter and that it
will not be possible for him to be in
the election precinct on the date Of
the election. Then the clerk shall de-
liver to him a copy of the election bal
lot or ballots and the voter must mark
these ballots in the presence of the
clerk and it is to be put into a special
" printed envelope This envelope
containing the ballot is returned to
the fabsent voter and he may de-
liver it to the election board in person
at the time it is marked or may send
it by registered mail so that it reaches
the election board while the election
is being held In any event the vote
is taken before the board and if the
man casting it is found to be a regu-
larly registered voter the ballot must
be counted the same as any other bal
lot. Just how the absent voter is to
get in his work where voting machines
are in use is yet to be explained If
the city is forced to print special bal
lots for the use of the absent ones the
new law may prove considerable ex-
pense to the cities of the state. This
matter is one that must be worked
out by the secretary Of state and
others later.
1t may be all right to give every
one chance to vote,'' said County
Clerk Jones, ''but the new law is go
ing to force a lot of changes in the
election machinery. 1t will be neces
sary to get out the official ballots at
least ten days before the election and
they will have to be in the hands of
the town clerks so as to give them
chance to issue them to such people
as may seek to vote them 1T is law
that has been tried in several other
states, however, and it seems to be
popular in these states. 1t is of es-
pecial interest to travelling men who
may be forced to go away from their
homes on election day and it will
probably save lot of these men
their votes.'
1t is pretty certain that campaign
committees will insist on the absent
voter law being put into service.