The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-10-19
TOTAL REGISTERED VOTE OF SROSHONE
COUNTY SHOWS ALMOST 5000 NAMES
NEARLY THAN ACTUAL YEARS AGO.
SYSTEM REGISTRATION SHOULD CHANGED
LARGE PRECINCTS.


ton on November closed last Sat
urday, but this does not mean that all
persons who are not registered will
be deprived of the privilege of vot-
ing. The accommodating election law
of Idaho permits the voter who has
been derelict in the matter of register
ing to appear before the election
board of his precinct on election day,
and upon being duly vouched for by
a qualified elector, his vote is accept
ed. This privilege has been greatly
abused and will continue to be so
long as it is retained in the law. Last
election there We're a good many votes
cast in this way which are believed to
have been Illegal But the largest
| loophole for fraudulent voting is
found in that provision of the law
which requires the poll list to be car
| ried forward from year to year and
relieves voters from the necessity of
registering for every election, That
Is, citizen who voted two years ago
is not required to register for the
election this year, unless he has
changed his voting precinct The vot-
| ing population of Shoshone county Is
continually changing. Hundreds of
voters who were here two years ago
have left the county, and yet their
names are still carried on the poll
lists. Many of them probably lived
here little longer than the time re-
auired to make them legal voters and
were known to comparatively few
people of the county. The election
judges do not know them, and thus
the way Is open for men who arrive
Just before election and too late to
acquire legal residence to imperson-
ate these men who have left the eoun-
ty, having the cooperation of party
workers who have no regard for the
law in the matter of getting votes.
There is no doubt that a large num-
Der of votes were cast in this fraudu-
lent manner two years ago, and the
same system will be worked this year
unless the utmost vigilance is eXer-
vised by those who desire to see q
fair and honest election. The law
provides severe penalty for person
ating voter or for committing per-
jury in any form in the matter oil
: voting, and it is the duty of every
citizen to expose every case of this
kind of which he has knowledge. But
the law relieving citizens of register
ing for every election should be re-
pealed, for so long as it stands it viii
be impossible to prevent all fraudu-
lent voting.
Large Registration.
Two years ago there were 6055 votes
cast in this county. The registration
books show a total of 1911 names fol-
the election this year, almost 5000
more than the actual vote two years
ago. Many of those whose names APP
pear have left the county, thus OPEN
ing the way for fraud by personatine
voters as referred to above. That
the vote this year will be larger than
, last is conceded, a conservative esti-
mate for this year being 1000. This
leaves nearly 1000 voters who have
scattered to the four winds, but who
, are still carried on the poll books as
qualified voters in Shoshore county
The danger of such system of reg
istration must be apparent to an!
one, and it is hoped that representa-
tives who are elected to the legisla
ture from this county will use thei
best efforts to have this feature of th
election law repealed. 1t is no hard
ship for voter to register for ever.
. election and it is the only Safeguard
against fraud,
, Registration in Larger Precincts.
The registration in the larger pre-
! cincts of the county this year is her
, given, together with the actual vot
= cast in the same precincts two year
ago.