Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-11-02
FRISCO TO TRY
new SYSTEM OF
ELECTION NOV. 6
IBy Associated Pressl

IBy Associated Pressl
San FRANCISCO, Oct. 22.-This city
will try new system of electing Its
officials November 6. It is called the
preferential system.
The preferential system of voting
Will be used in places which consisted
OF a primary election followed later
by a general election. This system
also provides for a choice of ma
jority of the voters. In order to be
elected as first or second choice the
candidates must receive a majority
of adj the votes cast.
This system also does away with
the unnecessary and excessive phys
1cal strain of being compelled to pass
through two election campaigns, one
to get the nomination and the other
to secure election. Also the great
length of the combined campaigns Is
unnecessarily aburdensome to both
voters and candidates. Also announce
ment of the primary returns enables
the least favored candidates to com
bine their strength at the general cleo
ton against the more popular candi-
dates and thus accomplish defeat
sometimes by unfair means. Also the
expense Of two elections under the
present system necessftates large
and useless waste of public money:
already this year the city has been
saved $4,000 by the adoption of the
preferential system.
To obtain an office in the municipal
government under the present charter
necessitates a physical and nervous
strain upon the candidate who sue.
cessfully passes the ordeal of the
primary election which many citizens
are unwilling to endure, while the
financial strain is necessarily double.
If candidate has a business when
he starts in which needs personal at.
tention to keep it alive, he is pretty
sure not to have any when the second
campaign is over.
1t is also quite evident that the
double election system has a growing
tendency to weary the voter by re-
quiring him to go to the polls twice
on the same issue, instead of once:
while the prolongation Of the political
wrangle carried on during the double
CAMPAIGN is, to say the least, a public
nuisance.
The preferential system of voting is
in operation in a number of cities Of
the United States and in this State.
At the primary election held Sep
TENDER %, 1915, 1895 citizens voted,
and at the general election held six
weeks later, November 9, 1915, 83,297
voted: 35,90S voters who
voted at the primary failed to vote at
the general election. There was at
this time 10000 citizens registered
and entitled to vote-less than so per
cent of the registration.
The preferential system Of vot-
ing will cut the cost of elections
about one-third. Four election officers
are used instead of six, as under the
double system of two elections, where
Twelve officers were used, six at each
election.
The ballot for the election to be-
held November 6, 1917 will be the
smallest ballot used at any municipal
election.
The ballot is in all respects the
same as the ballot heretofore used at
elections with the addition
Of two columns for voting the second
and third choices. :.-..1
The voter, when receiving the bal
lot first at the polls, will go to one
of the compartments, take the rubber
cross and mark oppositee the candi-
date preferred as first choice, in the
first column. Second choice, if any,
in the second column and third choice
IN the third column. If the voter has
10 second or third choice he is not
by law compelled to vote second or
third choice, but it is his privilege.
The count, for the first time, will be
conducted by the department of cleo
ions, under the supervision of the reg
strar of voters at the city hall. All
'eturns will be delivered by the cleo
jon boards and the count will begin
shortly after Z o'clock p. m. on the
lay of the election. Three hundred
md fifty precincts will be counted at
,ne time. t... -.
Every hour during the count the
public will be advised as to the pro-
,ress of the count. Tt is expected
he count will be finished early No
Tember It'll.