New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-03-21
LET ELECTION LAWS ALONE
Only Changes by This LegnI,t,v.
Should Be to Correct Defect.
tn The Editor Of The Tribune.

the Massachusetts. or "ofFice group" form a,
ballot. The experience Of one year Is bay5,,
sufficient to enable Us 20 pass final judgm.,,
upon that form Of ballot yet the primary ana
general elections Of 1914, at which such bal
lots were for the first time in use in nj,
state, indicate:
/. The ballot is simple and affords no ssh
stantal difficulty TO the voter Al the La,
election the number Of void ballots wa, "a.
duced to a minimum.
.. The length Of time required 10 vote va,
not generally regarded as any hardship. n
this respect the ballot had an unusually "a.
we're test at the primary election, when. IN
addition to candidates for state and Local
Offices delegates to the Constitutional Cor.
yention were designated.
3. The use Of the "oficc group form a,
ballot brought about a larger participate,
in the primary election. The percentage o.
enrolled voters which participated was. gener.
ally speaking, considerably increased Il /.
mistake. however 20 assume. as 30 many
do. that the percentage Of enrolled voter,
which participate in primary election /,
necessarily fair test either Of the form Of
ballot or of the usefulness Of direct mi.
maries. The extent of participation At ii,
primaries depends largely upon whether there
is any real contest on. Thus. last year in
qome districts in which there we're local con.
tests there was a bona fide vote Of more than
90 per cent of the registration. In other dis.
tricts, where there was no contest, the vote
was comparatively slight
I. The form Of ballot has greatly added 70
independence in voting. Even last wear IN a
number Of instances machine candidates
were defeated; in others. barely elected,
where. but for this ballot, there would have
been a walkover for the organization.
I. would seem, therefore, that this form o,
ballot is entitled to further trial in thi.
state. Those who have advocated It's sdop.
ton have had in mind the public benefit %
be gained by encouraging vote for caud
dates and conscientious discrimination be.
tween candidates. rather than blind vote
for an organization or emblem.
Under the party column system the voters
generally paid little attention TO the individu.
atty Of candidates other than the head oftss
ticket It was only whore the unhtness OF
candidates was so glazing as TO render their
nomination a public scandal that the voter
Disseminated and then the unftness Of the
tail OF the ticket in turn reacted upon the
head The voter. indeed, as a rule. merely
looked for the party emblem and party circle,
and paid little or no attention 10 the names in
the party column.
The office group" form Of ballot will tend
to do away with these conditions. But It is
expected that this form Of ballot will produce
still further advantages. Where candidates
are no longer assured Of election merely be-
cause they bear 4 party tag the tendency
necessarily will be to nominate better eandi.
dates. because such candidates will be more
likely of election. This form OF ballot, there
fore, will tend toward improving the selee-
ton of candidates as well as Of public OF.
icers.
am. therefore, firmly Of the opinion that
the Legislature should this year leave the
election laws most severely alone, making
but few amendments. such as will tend tow.
ard removing defects which have been DIS
closed and toward greater efficiency. Tn
which believe should be enact.
ed are the following:
(a) Primary elections Of all parties should
be held at the same polling place, so that the
election officers in charge may not be AMI
lated solely with the party conducting the
primary election.
(bl Primary elections should be held upon
the first day of registration. This will save
expense and will be a great convenience 70
the voter. and will inevitably induce larger
participation in the primaries.
(c) The place of stay" joker should be
eliminated. II is, of course, unconstitutohs'
but should, in any event, be formally re-
pealed.
Id The arrangement of the official ballot
with respect to the Office of Governor snoua
be made the same as for all other state o.
fcers. The reason for the anomaly upon me
Official ballot is purely artificial IN that the
statute makes the vote Of 10000 for uo''
ernor the test of continued existence OF
political party as such, and fixes the orae'
of names of candidates upon the official os''
lot according to the vote cast for the respte,
tive party candidates. for Governor al tns
last preceding election.
(e) There should be an amendment oo'h
the primary and general election law "''1
respect to the number of signatures required
for nominations within Judicial disHeN
The necessity therefor has arisen isfg,p
since the separation Of Manhattan and Inc
Bronx as counties The des ignstlons ior pr
maries are required TO be made section ,'I
by not less than per cent OF the enroie'
fixed by the statute. There Is pro'lsNA
requiring a maximum OF 500 or ZoO sx u',
lures, respectively. for any Office 10 oe NV
by the voters of any county, depending upvN
the size of the county. This Limitation -
piled to this judicial district before the ''.
alton of Bronx County. II is serious q''
ion whether these provisions now Apply
this judicial district, which contains @0'
han one county II.
% There should be a slight change 10
form Of the ballot. so as 10 make more P'V ~,
nent the words "Vote for one, '0~
Two,' etc, indicating how many are a.,
voted for in the case of each office. =. -.
last election two judges Of the supreme -
we're to be elected in this county YET vs.,
arge number Of persons ey!denty -
ooked the words "Vote for Two ana WV
for one only. .y,
It mas frequently been suggested thSt
office group" form Of ballot should ~ i,
IN hand with the short ballot Inc
allure has little to do with the ques,,,'n
The short ballot, but this question WI. 800
up for consideration by the Cons''uT az
Topvaptiop that this reform WIZ