The Cordova daily times., 1917-11-05
ADOP TS PREFERENTIAL
 SYSTEM
(By the Associated Pressl

I city will try a new system of electing officials It is called the preferential system
 The preferential system of voting will be used Of the old system which consisted of primary election follow ed later by general election. This system also provides for a choice of a majority of the voters. In order to be elected as first or second choice the candidates must receive a major fly of all the votes cast
 This system also does away with the unnecessary and excessive physi- cal strain of being compelled to pass through two election campaigns, one to get the nomination and the other to secure the election. Also the great length of the combined campaigns is unnecessarily burdensome to both the voters and candidates. Also the an nouncement of the primary returns enables the less favored candidates
  eral election against the more popular candidates and thus accomplish defeat sometimes by unfair means. Also the expense of two elections under the present system necessitates a large and useless waste of public money; ]. already this year the city has saved ltyf hn aH nF ha ential system.
 To obtain an office in the munich ] pal government under the present charter necessitates a physical and a nervous strain upon the candidate who successfully passes the ordeal of the primary election which many cit izens are unwilling to endure. while the financial strain is necessarily all most 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 se- cond campaign is over.
 It is also quite evident that the double election system has a growing tendency to weary the voter by re- requiring him to go to the polls twice on the same issue, instead of once while the prolongation of the politi- cal wrangle carried on during the campaign is, to say the least, a pub lie 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 in Sept. 1915, 11,9l05 citizens of the state voted and at the general election held six weeks later, November 8, 1915, S3,297 citizens voted; 35,90S voters who vot- ed at the primary failed to vote at the general election. There was at this time 1s0,204 citizens registered and entitled to vote, less than 50 per cent. of the registration.
 The preferential system of voting will cut the cost of elections about one-third Four election officers are used instead of six, as under the doub. le system of two elections, where twelve officers were used, six at each election.
 The ballot for the election to be held tomorrow will be the small est ballot used at any municipal cleo ton.
 Il The ballot in all respects is the ballot heretofore used at municipal elections with the addition of two col. umns for voting the. second and third choices.
 The voter, when receiving the bal lot at the polls, will go to one of the compartments, take the rubber cross and mark oposite the candidate pre- ferred as first choice, in the first col umn. Second choice, if any, in the second column and third choice in the third column. If the voter has no se- cond 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 elections under the supervision of the registrar Of boards and the count will begin shortly after seven o'clock D. m. on the day of the election. Three hun- dred and fifty precincts will be count ed at time.
 Every hour during the count the public will be advised as to the pro- gross of the count It is expected that the count will be finished early in November.