Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-10-08
COMMISSION PREPARES TO TAKE
POLL OF MEN IN CAMPS
IN AMERICA.
WORKING OUT PLANS
FOR IMMENSE TASK
for Soldiers in Great Num-
bers to Use Absent Voters Ballots
Men in Service Overseas Will Lose
Right Of Franchise in November
Elections.

pcS MONIES, OCT. y Inere are lcTbS
thousand Iowa soldiers now in army
service in one half the camps Of this
are scattered here and there in camps
where they have been assigned as vol
unteers in the navy, in coast artillery,
in aviation. engineering, medical and
training sections.
II is designated to give these SOL
dicrs chance to vote at the coming
election by again employing the ola
law Of 1868 under which soldiers in the
civil war were Civein a chance to vote
while in the field. Governor w. l..
Harding submitted the question to the
attorney general. and that official gave
detailed opinion, as did CoSSen two
years ago. that the old law should De
used for the benefit OF Iowa soldiers
this year, in view of the fact that
there are so many in some camps that
it will be physical impossibility for
them to vote under the absent voters
law. The fact that there are in camps
from l03 TO $4,000 Iowa soldiers. and
that every absent votens' ballot voted
mas u pc SstsiItu anu S"pl II " "N-N-~
a notary public would cause a large
part OF these soldiers TO fail TO ever
receive their ballots to vote and 10 fail
TO get them back to, their home
precincts if voted. Military officers
can not take Acknowledgement IN
civil proceedings. At Camp Pike, for
instance. where there were last month
1858 Iowa men. il would be out or
the question for any considerable
number of these men 10 ever vote
under the absent voters law. The
election commissioners will provloe
regular polling places for them. ana
their votes can be taken under the
same rules and restrictions as If al
home for all officers from senator
down TO county positions. No officers
in districts less than county can he
voted for owing to the impossioility OF
making the canvass and entering the
votes for these minor Offices.
The Commission Appointed.
Governor Harding has named Attor-
ney Price. Of Fort Dodge, Editor Jun
kin. OF Creston. and Senator Caswen,
Of Denison, as three commissioners to
plan and map out the details for the
Dig TASK OF ljiS 10"1 Sc'N'S'S
vote in whatever camps a sufficient
number may be found to make II
practicable. These commissioners met
with the governor in Des Moines Sun
day and with Secretary of State '"
s. Allen later. to outline the situation
and start the important work. t1rst
the information as to the number OF
Iowa men in each camp and the num-
bers from each county in each camp
has to be ascertained, then sufficient
number OF ballots for each county in
the state to supply these men at the
election must be prepared and then
the commissioners must arrange Ior
election Judges and clerks at each
camp and see that the vote Is regularly
and legally polled. with the same re-
strictions as TO citizenship as tho the
soldiers were at home.
Secretary of State Allen thus has
tremendous job in preparing these
ballots and getting them correctly
printed for each county in the state;
also furnishing proper special poll
books that will permit of recapitula-
ton Of the votes after they are taken.
The work in hand will take the COM
after election. They win publish very
soon list OF the camps where they
will hold regular elections for the SOL
diers and a list of other camps where
the only means that can be PROVIDED
for taking the soldiers vote will be by
use of the absent voters ballot law,
and in the latter case will advise rela-
tives and friends of soldiers known to
he in such camps to instruct their SOL
der relatives and friends to make ap-
phcation in proper manner to their
county auditors for such ballots, and
thus they may get them back in time
to be counted at the election.
Can Not Vote in France.
The war department recently, in the
application OF the state OF New YORK
for permission to take the vote OF the
soldiers Of that state in France and
England, declined such permission. on
the ground that the soldiers over there
are so constantly on the move and are
so necessary to the fighting units In
action. that il would be impossible and
inadvisabie to have commissioners try
to take their votes outside OF the
United States. The war department.
did. however, promise cooperation and
all the facilities possible for taking the
vote Of soldiers still in this country.
The Iowa commissioners will therefore
not attempt to secure the soldier vote
anywhere but in the United States.
Montezuma Banker Dead.