The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-17

! that a special report on the subject
| be prepared and laid before the next
legislature of that state. New York's
] constitutional convention of 1915 APP
proved a provision to facilitate the
matter of registration by voters unable
to be at home during the prescribed
period of registration.
While it would seem that the Ameri-
can states have made only a small be-
ginning toward undermining an electoral
system which in many respects is woe
| fully tll-adapted to modern industrial
| life. yet when it is RENE mbered that
| this beginning has been made entire
| ly within the last three years, it is
! seen that there is ample cause for OPP
| timism and sufficient ground for the
prediction that our next general as
| sembly will, in this matter of extending
the franchise, put Alabama where she
rightfully belongs in the vanguard OF
the most progressive states of the most
progressive republic on earth.
CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISION
The constitution of Alabama under
the article governing suffrage and
| elections" provides in section 100 that,
, THE Legislature shall pass laws not in
| consistent with this constitution to reg
/
such laws shall be uniform through
out the state; and shall provide by law
| for the manner of holding elections and
| OF ascertaining the results of the same,
| and shall provide general registration
| laws. not inconsistent with the pro-
| visions of this article, for the registra-
1 ton of all qualified electors from and
after the 1st day of January, 1903"
| Assuming that this clause of the Or
| ganic law furnishes adequate power to
enable the legislature to enact the sug-
| gested law. there remains only the mat
ter of the provisions of the statute.
THE PLAN
| Section l of the proposed act should,
| of course, provide that it shall be law
full for any qualified elector of the state
| OF Alabama who may, on the occurrence
of any general or primary election
| hereafter held pursuant to the law in
| this state, be unavoidably absent from
| his county because his duties or occu-
| patton require him to be elsewhere
within the state. to vote in any voting
| precinct in the state of Alabama where
| he may present himself for that pur-
| pose on the day of such election or pri-
mary, under the prescribed regulations,
with like effect as though he were cast
ing his vote in his home county and the
voting precinct of his residence.
Section proceeding with the pre-
scribed regulations should provide that,
sIch absent elector," before being al
/ lowed to vote shall present certificate
| of registration, certified by the judge of
| probate or registration board of the
county or precinct in which he resides,
| to be furnished to any registered voter
| by the proper officer. or board, upon
demand, prior to the election day, and
1 shall be identified in person to the
| judges of election in the precinct where
| he offers to vote, by one or more resi-
dent voters in such precinct and, in
addition. make and subscribe before
one of the judges an affidavit, form
for which should be provided, embrace
ing the qualifications laid down in the
| constitution; and that upon the casting
| of such absentee's vote his ballot shall
not be deposited in the ballot box, nor
! entered upon the poll books; but that it
shall be securely sealed in an envelope
upon the back of which one of the
judges shall write, for instance: The
| ballot of John Doe an absent voter
of precinct blank of the city of Bir
| mingham, in the county of Jefferson
Section 8 proceeding to prescribe reg
ulations should provide for the imme-
diate mailing of such votes by the
| judges of election, or the Judge of pro-
| bate, or the election commission, to
the judge of probate or the election
| commission Of the respective counties
| where such voters belong.
Section should provide for the pre-
serving of such proxy votes unopened
until the board of canvassers should
| canvass all the votes according to law.
| Section 5 should fix the manner and
method of canvassing the local and
| proxy votes and the Checking of the
| registration lists.
Section 6 should provide for a pen
/ atty to be placed upon any absentee
! who should wilfully swear falsely to
the affidavit provided for in section 2;
! should fix the punishment for any Of
fcers of elections who should permit
| any person to vote as herein provided
without his taking the required aff-
davit, or who should neglect or refuse
| to perform any of the duties prescribed
| in this act; should provide that IL any
designated officer or election commits
sion or any member of the board of
county canvassers shall neglect or re-
| fuse to perform any of the duties pre-
| scribed by this act, or shall reveal or
| divulge any of the details or contents
| of any ballot herein. provided, he shall
be adjudged guilty of a misdemeanor
and be punished by a fine not exceeding
| blank dollars.
| Section should provide that every
judge of probate and election COM
mission shall supply the Judges of cleo
| ton with a reasonable number of print
| ed forms of affidavits and ballots of
! the character provided for in the act.
This plan, which now obtains in Aus
tralia, New Zealand and six states OF
the union, is generally known where
it has been made a part of the general
election law as "absent voting"
A second plan, known as postal
voting" simply provides that the quail
fed voter away from home on election
day may send his ballot to his home
precinct by mail.
| Still third plan, known as 'early
voting" provides that the voter who
| expects to be away from the voting pre-
cinct on election day may deposit his
ballot in his home precinct at any time
within given number of days previous
to the election before leaving home
Mr.. Ullman strongly favors the first
of the three plans and predicts that it
| is substantially the law which will be
| enacted by Alabama's next legislature
| in the name of the railroad men. the
.drummers and the college students OF
! this state who have heretofore been
and are now virtually disfranchised by
/ an elective system which precludes to
a great number of citizens, the exer-
else of the highest prerogative of citi-
zenship.
!
| Rise in Oats