The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-10-05
Iowans In Service Of Uncle Sam VIII
Have Opportunity for Voting
on the Prohibition
Amendment.
HAYNER SENDS LETTER
Attorney General Is Eliminating g
Lot of Red Tape Connected
With Votes by
Absentees.

every county attorney and county
auditor in Iowa today by Attorney
General Havner, provision Is made
for eliminating much Of the red
tape required of Iowa soldiers and
sailors who desire to vote at the
special election on constitutional
prohibition.
The statutes provide that absent
voters must make application for
certified ballots on application blanks
to be supplied by the auditors Of
their respective counties. Under this
arrangem ent the Iowa men in the
army and navy would have to first
write to their county auditors, asking
for application blanks These blanks
would then have to be filed out and
returned to the county auditor, who
would then mail official ballots, to be
filled out and returned by mail
Captains to Deliver Blanks.
Under the new orders which At
torney General Havner is sending
the county officials today, county
auditors are directed to forward the
official application blanks to the COM
pany commanders of Iowa military
units, who will deliver them to the
men in their respective companies,
following county lines.
This will mean that practically all
the Iowa men in military service
will vote at the special election on
October Is By the old arrangement
it was thought that very few of the
thousands of Iowa soldiers would
take the trouble to write home for
the official application blanks.
Text of Letter.
Havner's letter also explains the
reuirem ents with regard to registra-
ton. The letter follows:
Preparation for holding the COM
ing special election for the adoption
of the constitutional amendment has
caused many applications to be made
to this department for construction Of
the various phases of the registration
laws Of Iowa required for said cleo
ton and in order that there may be
uniformity OF action among the cleo
ton officials of the state we are send
ing this letter to each county attor-
ney and county auditor with the re-
quest that they make known it's con-
county and give publicity in papers.
mental supplement of 1915, and the
section 1 Of chapter Al Of the acts
Of the thirty-seventh general assem-
bly,, require registration in cities hav-
ing population of 5000 or more for
any general, city or special election.
This is true in cities under special
charter, according to section 1076-a
90 CO. fo Tn, cit
no registration is required.
"Chapter 321 of the acts of the
thirty-seventh general assem- bly, pro-
vides that the election in question is
special election to be held in the
manner provided for holding general
elections. and therefore registration
is required for this election.
"Second-Those who are required
to register may for convenience be
divided into three general classes.
Qualified electors present in the
county who are not disabled, as
specified in section of chapter 419
of the acts of the thirty-seventh gen
eral assembly, will be designated
class one. Qualified electors present
in the county, who are thus disabled.
will be designated class two, and
qualified electors, who are absent
from the county, without respect to
disability, will be designated class
three.
Class One.
GLASS one is required to appear
for registration before the proper
registration officials as provided by
section 1917 of the code Of 1897 and
be registered in each. year of a pres
idential election. (See code section
1880. Between such registrations
in the presidential year and the next
general registration intervening reg
istrations are required to be made in
the following manner:
"(a) BY copying from the poll
books Of the previous general election
into the new alphabetical list Of
voters all the names found therein
"(b) BY adding thereto all addi-
tional names found on all poll books
Of all subsequent elections.
"(c) BY adding to those poll book
lists the new names Of all persons
who are required to personally APP
pear before the registration officials