Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-06-01
Board of Supervisors Has
Plan to Lessen Delay
in Getting Result
ALL JUDGES WILL
USE SAME METHOD
Suffrage Ballots Will Be
Counted First and the
News Given Public

To save time In the counting OF
primary ballots and to aid the pubic
in getting early returns, the board OF
supervisors has decided to issue an
order applicable to all the judges or
election in the county.
, The board has determined the order
in which the various kinds OF ballots
will be counted and the manner IN
which the counting is to be done. by
thus systematizing the work and In
stalling an approved method OF count
ing. it is believed that the public will
be spared the long wait which has al
ways attended former elections.
The election judges are to be told
to count the suffrage ballots arst The
supervisors believe there are more
people interested in the suffrage Ques-
ton than in any other and that for
their benefit, the suffrage ballots
should be counted frst. This will per-
nit of their compilation at an early
hour and the people should know In
less than an hour after the polls close,
whether Wapello county has gone tor
or against votes for women.
Counting system Adopted.
The judges will take up the regular
primary ballots after they have count
ed the suffrage vote. The order In
which the primary tickets will be
counted follows: republican, demo
cratic, progressive and socialist.
Under the county system adopted BY
the board. the Judges will first count
the number OF ballots cast for each
Icandidate for the drst Office mentioned
on the ticket The clerks will enter
up the count in the tally sheets while
the Judges are counting the ballots
cast for the candidates for the next
ONCE in the list. This action will be
repeated until the ticket is disposed OF
and then the same process will be re-
peated with the next ticket.
When all the party tickets have
been disposed of, the nonpartisan
ticket on state supreme court judges
will be counted.
Instructions for Judges.
In order that all the Judges may
understand the details of the new
! counting system, the board has had
instructions printed and copies will be
sent out with the supplies for each
voting ward or precinct. These in
structions in the main, are as follows:
FIRST-Start counting as soon as the
polls close. Sort suffrage ballots
into AYE" and may" classes; count
rapidly and accurately each pile and
instruct clerks to enter the count In
the tally sheets.
sECOND-Sort primary ballots ac-
cording to party-Republican demo
cratic, progressive, socialist, etc.
THIRD-Take republican ballots and
lay others aside. Sort republican
ballots in piles according to the vote
, on candidates for the first Office on
list. Example: For governor. In
first pile place ballots cast for Allen,
In second put ballots cast for Cos
son, in third put ballots cast for
Harding, fourth pile scattering
votes. The judges can now cooper
ate In counting, quickly and accur-
ateIy the number of ballots cast for
Allen. The clerks can then pro-
cede to make the entry in the tally
l. sheets. While they are so engaged,
the Judges can count the ballots cast
for Cosson and the clerks can pro-
ceed to make the proper record. The
Judges next count the Harding vote
in like manner and have the clerks
record 1t. The scattering vote can
next be counted and recorded.
FOURTH-Repeat the above process
in securing the vote OF each candl-
date under each Office on the ticket.
FIFTH-Treat the democratic ballot
! in exactly the same manner.
| SIXTH-Repea the operation with as
| many tickets as are represented In
the primary.
! SEVENTH-Count the nonpartisan
ballots on state supreme court
judges.
| BY order Of the board of supervisors,
Per J. w. Hall, Chairman.
irish WILL MAKE
DEMAND ON PARTIES
! Chicago. May 31.-Demand will be
made that the republicans and demo
Gratis incorporate in their platforms
| the promise that If the United States