St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1915-11-10
Vermont,s Primary Law.


1t is generally understood by the
voters of the state that next March
meeting they will have an opportunity
to vote for or against a primary law
and that If a majority vote in favor
of it the law will take effect on March
20, 1916. but if the majority votes
against it the law will not take effect
until March 20, 1917; but very few
voters know what the law they vote
upon really is. In an effort to have
the law better understood we shall at
tempt to give the essential features of
the proposed law.
All candidates for elective offices
are to be nominated by primary or
convention or by nomination papers
signed and filed in accordance with
the present law. A primary is to be
held when all the voting places used
at a general election can be used. All
the expenses of the primary election
are to be paid by the state, county or
town the same as the expenses of
general election are now paid.
To get his name on the official bal
lot to be used at a primary a candi-
date for United States Senator or
state Office must file with the secre-
tary of state, at least forty days before
such primary a petition signed by 500
voters of his political party; for re-
preventative to congress the petition
must contain $50 names; for county
officers the petition must be signed by
at least two per cent. of all the votes
cast at the previous election; for town
representative at least three per cent.
of all the votes cast for town repre-
sentative in the last election.
A voter by signing a petition desig-
mates the political party to which he
belongs and must vote for only the
candidates of his party at the primary.
He can sign the petition for only one
candidate for any Office and if he
signs conflicting petitions his name
will not count on any. AT the primary
the voter can vote only for the candi-
dates of one party. If his ballot is
marked in the column of more than
one party it will be thrown out as de-
fective. The names of all candidates
are to be arranged in party columns.
The selectmen are to prepare and post
q check list and only voters having
their names on the check list can vote
at the primary.
Provision is made for the counting
and announcement of the votes at
each polling place, for the canvass of
the votes by state, county and town
receiving a plurality of all the votes
cast by a party shall be the candidates
of that party on the official ballot to
be used at the regular election. In
case two or more candidates of a |
party are tied for the same office the
party committee is to determine which
one shall be the nominee.
All of the laws regulating the con-
duct of a general election not incon-
sistent with the primary law shall APP
ply to the primary election.
The state convention of any politi-
cal party under the proposed law will
be composed of the nominees of such !
party for state. and county officers
and town nominees for representa-
tive to the general assembly. They
shall make the platform for their
party. nominate presidential electors
and organize for two years. The
party nominees from each county can
name a county committee and desig- |
nate a member for the state commit |
tee to be elected by the whole conven-
ton. The party members in each
town can make any organization they |
wish and nominate candidates for jus.
tice of the peace.
Section II seems to let down all the
bars in the act. 1t reads
Sec. IT. This act shall be literally |
construed so that the real will of
the voters shall not be defeated, and
so that the voters of any town shall
not be deprived of their right to nomi- |
nate or participate in the nomination
of candidates for Office by any infor- |
mality or failure to comply with the
provisions of the law in respect TO
mary or certifying the results thereof.
Another section that seems rather
liberal is No. 2s which reads
SEQ. 2s. Should no nominating pc
tition be filed for any Office to
be filed. a vacancy on a party
ticket SO arising shall be filled
as provided in section IL ex-l
cept in case of candidate for repre-