The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-24
Laws Must Be Changed if They
Are To Do So.
That Is What BOtkin Writes
the Governor Today.
NEED SPECIAL LEGISLATURE
That Is Only Way Red Tape
Can Be Eliminated.
National Army Soldiers Have
No Franchise Here?

Under existing state election laws
the $4,000 Kansans who will be in
France or other foreign military serv-
ice at the time of the primaries in
August. 1918, will be unable to vote.
A revision of the laws that will make
1T possible for the Kansans in olive
drab to cast their ballot for United
States senator, state officers, district
and county officers in their home
state. can only be made by a special
session of the legislature.
The summoning of a special state
legislative session came a step near
er today when j. T. Botxin, secre-
tary of state, checked those facts up
to Governor Capper. Botkin, in a
letter to the executive, declared that
the soldiers from this state should
regardless of where they are locat-
ed, be given the right to express
their choice for candidates at the
The primary election takes place
August 6. Notice of the primary
must be given April s. Nomination
pa pers must be filed on or before
June 26. The state board of can
VasserS meets to examine and pass
upon nomination papers July The
secretary of state must certify to
each county clerk in the state a list
of the names of all persons entitled
to place on the ballot on or before
c1AS u OpOH the receipt OF Such
Inst the county clerk must publish it
for three consecutive weeks The
earliest that publication of the lists
can be completed is July 27. leaving
only 10 days until the election, Aug
ust 6. During that ten days the coun-
" clerk must print and distribute the
ballots to township and city boards
ana forward ballots for the soldiers to
the governor who, in turn, must get
them into the hands of the soldiers.
T II Cannot Be Done,
You will readily see," wrote Botkin,
not only the in1pra ctica hility. but the
absolute lmpossibility of a strict COM
pilance with the provisions of the law
and Will no doubt realize the necessity
or simplifying our cumbersome cleo
tion machinery if our soldiers in the
field are to vote"
Botkin in this argument, points out
that 1t is impossible to unwind the red
tape of the present laws fast enough
to get the ballots overseas in ten DAYS
1t takes the average first class letter
/! a period of at least thirty days to go
from Kansas to France under exist
ing conditions. In ten days the coun-
| ty clerks would have to strain every
energy to even get the ballots in the
hands of soldiers in nearby canton
ments, camps and other military posts
in this country. Ability of officials to
get the ballots to camps in California
anu T lOl llud anu OlHeT pldCeS cOrTeS-
ponding distance away would be haz-
ardous.
Then Botkin raised another point
The legislative provision which was
passed in 1868 allowing soldiers away
/ from shome to vote applies, on its face,
only to the national guard and volun-
teers There is no provision providing
the ballot rights for men in the regu-
lar army or national army. There are
thousands of Kansans in those two di-
visions of the service. The question
of asking the court or the attorney
general to pass upon this situation
(Continled on Page TwoO