Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-03-08
DOUBLE ELECTION
BOARD IDEA Is
GAINING SUPPORT
One Counts Ballots While the
Other Sees That They Are
Properly Handled
BY associated Press

New York, March Solicitations that
one of the greatest obstacles to the
prompt announcement of election re-
suits, such as handicapped the news
papers in the last presidential election,
may be removed before another presi-
Dental year, are reflected in the action
of the West Virginia Legislature. fol-
lowing the example set by Kansas. in
the creation of what is called "A Dou-
BILE Election Board"
The measure is hailed by West Vir-
ginia newspapers as one that will be
appreciated by the general public to a
greater extent than is realized by those
not familiar with the present encum-
brances which surround ballot-count-
ing. They declare that the success of
the experiment in Kansas last fall
should attract attention in other states
as a possible relief from such uncer-
tainty as the whole country labored
under for several days after the last
election.
Kansas, considering it's difference in
time, as compared with the Eastern
states, was the first of all states to be-
gin to return figuress on its election
last November Z. This was a surprise
generally to other states until it was
discovered that the secret of Kansas
promptness was a system known as the
Double Election Board
Not Revolutionary
This system does not in any sense
revolutionize present methods of vot-
ing, but simply makes it possible that
the ballots may be counted almost
simultaneously with the casting of
them, with the result that the vote is
known Immediately upon the closing of
the polls.
The Kansas law provides that at all
general elections the national and state
tickets shall be printed upon one ball
lot. and the district, county AMI town
ship tickets shall be printed upon an
other ballot. and that at each voting
precinct five separate ballot boxes shall
be provided. two boxes in duplicate for
the national and state ballots, and that
there shall be two boards of election
officers, one to be known as the re-
ceiving board-to receive ballots and
guard their proper placement in the
OXes-and the other to be a counting
board.
a few hours after the opening of the
polls the national and state ballot box
es are removed from their designated
places and duplicate boxes placed in
their stead, while the counting board
retires under proper safeguards,
empties the first set of boxes and
counts the ballots. After another in
terval the boxes are exchanged again,
and the counting proceeds in the man
ner OF simple relay throughout the day.
The old method, which still obtains
in all the states except Kansas and
West Virginia. requires the casting of
the ballot before any counting is done,
and this involves in some places from
six to forty-eight hours, delaying a
still greater time the compilation of a
state or national vote.
Old Method Slow
The act of the West Virginia Legis-
lature in following the Kansas exam
pie is called the Wier bill, after James
w. Wier. a newspaperman who is a
member of the West Virginia Legisla-
ture and who deemed that some of the
clerical and mechanical handicaps g.
election reporting belonged to the days
when folks depended upon the stage
coach mail for their news, instead OF
the present era of the telephone and
wireless telegraph. In West Virginia,
for example. at the last election II was
a week before it was known positively
how the state had gone. and it was
six weeks before the exact figures were
compiled anil published.
What little opposition was met with