News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1915-12-08
Vermont's Primary Law
st. Jobnsbury Caledonian

: they will have an opportunity to vot
s for or against primary law and that
a majority vote In favor of 1t the law Wi
: take effect oil March 20, 1915. but If tn
: majority votes against it the law will no
: take effect until March 20, 1917; but yer.
, few voters kpow what the law they vot
) upon really is. In an effort to have th
law better understood we shall attemp
to give the essential features of the pro
posed law.
All candidates for elective Offices ere t.
be nominated by primary or convention OIL
by nomination papers signed and filed il
accordance with the present law. A pri
mary is to be held when all the voting
places used at general election can be
used. All the expenses of the primary
election are to be paid by the state, coun-
ty or town the same as the expenses of a
general election are now paid.
To get his name on the official ballot
to be used at primary candidate for
United States Senator or state Office
must file with the secretary of state, at
least forty days before such primary, a
petition signed by 500 voters of his politi-
Cal parry; for representative 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 representa-
tive in the last election.
voter by signing a petition designates
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 petit
tions his name will not count on any. At
the primary the voter can vote only for
the candidates of one party. If his ballot
is marked in the 'lumn of more than one
party it will be thrown out as defective.
The names of all candidates are to be ar
ranged in party columns. The selectmen
are to prepare and post check list and
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 officials and COM
mittees and persons receiving plurality
of all votes cast by 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 COM
mittee is to determine which one shall be
the nominee.
All the laws regulating the conduct of
general election not inconsistent with
the primary law shall apply to the pri-
mary election.
The state convention of any political
party under the proposed law will be
composed of the nominees of such party
for state, and county officers and town
nominees for representative to the gener-
al assembly. They shall make the plat
form for their party. nominate presden-
tial electors and organize for two years.
The party nominees from each county
can name county committee and desig-
nate mem Der for the state committee
to be elected by the whole convention.
The party members in each town can
make any organization they wish and
nominate candidates for justice of the
peace.
Section II seems to let down all the
bars in the act. 1t reads:-
Sec. II. This act shall be literally
construed so hat the real will of the vot-
ers shall not be defeated, and so the vot-
ers of any town shall not be deprived of
their right TO nominate or participate in
the nomination of candidates for offic
by any informally or failure to comply |
with the provisions of the law in respect F,
to giving notice of or conducting the pri- A.!
mary or certifying the results thereof.
Another section that seems rather lib.
eral is No. 2S, which reads:-
Sec. SO. Should no nominating petition |
be filed for any Office to be Fl lied "a vacancy
on party ticket so arising shall be filled |
as provided in section II except in case |
of candidate for representative to the |
general assembly for the choice of which |
party caucus shall be called, as pro-
vided by existing laws, not later than fif-
teen days before the election. In case
such caucus is held, the nomination
shall be made by ballot conforming as far
as is possible to the primary plan speci-
fed in this act, and the ballot box shall
remain open not less than two hours.
Strict publicity of all expenses of a can
didate for nomination is provided and
any person soliciting any money, intoxi-
eating liquor or anything of value for his
vote or use or pretending to use to pro-
cure the vote of another person shall be
fined not more than 500 or imprisoned
not more than six months, or both. Evi-
IDENTIFY this provision does not make it an
offense to give money, intoxicating liquor
or any thing of value for PERSONS vote
or the acceptance of such gift by voter,
but If voter suggest he be given some
thing for his vote he is liable TO punish