The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-03-01
THE DOUBLE
ELECTION BOARD
eBy Associated Press,

| New York, March Indications
that one of the greatest obstacles to
the prompt announcement of election
results, such as handicapped the
newspapers in the last presidential ell
| ection, may be removed before anoth-
er presidential year, are reflected in
the action of the West Virginia legis-
lature, following the example set by
Kansas, in the creation Of what Is
called "A Double Election Board"
The measure is haile6 by West Vir-
GINA 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
lencumbrances which surround ballot
| counting. They declare that the sue
cess of the experiment in Kansas last
fall should attract attention in other
states as a possible relief from such
uncertainty as the whole country Ia
bored under for several days after the
last election. -.
Kansas, considering its difference in
time as compared with the eastern
states, was the first of all states to re.
turn figures on it's election last No
vember 7th. This was a surprise gen.
eraly to other states until ii was dis
covered tht the secret of Kansas
promptness was a system known as
the double election board.
This system does not in any sense
revoluttonize present methods Of vot-
ing. but simply makes 1t possible that
the ballots may be counted almost ST.
multaneously 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
ballot, and the district, county and
township tickets shall be printed upon
another ballot, and that at each vot-
ing precinct five separate ballot boxes
shall be provided 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
boxes-and the other to be a counting
board. r.. .s"
A few hours after the opening of
the polls the national and state bal
lot boxes are removed from their des-
ignated places, and duplicate boxes
placed In their stead, while the count
ing board retires under proper safe
guards, empties the first set Of boxes
and counts the ballots. After another
Interval the boxes are exchanged
again, and the counting proceeded
with in this manner of simple relay
throughout the day.
The old method. which still obtains
in all 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
still greater time the compilation Of
a state or national vote.
The act of the West Virginia legis-
lature in following the Kansas ex-
ample is called the Wier bill, after
James w. Wier. a. newspaper man
who is a member Of the West Virgin
la legislature and who deemed that
some of the clerical and mechanical
of election reporting be-
longed to the days when folks depend
ed 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 it was a week before 1t
was known positively how the state
had gone, and it was six weeks be-
fore the exact figures were compiled
and published. .aF d. 4
What little opposition was met with |
in West Virginia IN suggesting 4adop- |
ton Of the Kansas method was to the |
effect that the double election board |
involved additional expense, but in the |
1TB uIu0HL Oh the duIlOT u the OlIl. IL |
Is as inexpensive to work two sets
Of men one day as it is to work one |
set Of men for two days.
Ohio. Pennsylvania, New Jersey and |
several of the middle and western |
states have for many years been par
ticularly slow in completing their re-
turns, and it is such conditions that
have handicapped The Associated
Press in announcing the definite re-
suits Of presidential elections on the
night of election day. The seriousness
IF such delays as were encountered |
asst November, when various newspa-
pers announced the result before 1t
was known. has impressed itself up
On Governor Cox Of Ohio. In an adj
iress before the members of The AS
ISOLATED Ohio Dailies at Columbus re-
GENTLY the governor suggested an
adoption OF law similar to that Of
Kansas so that the general result may |
be known early in the evening OF ell
action day, instead of, as he said,
about Christmas time"
In the view of election experts, the
uniform adoption of the double board
system in all the states would obviate
such doubt of the presidential vote
rs obtained at the last election.