Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-08-23
ABSENT
MAY
DISFRANCHISED
Questions Right Of Canvas.
sing Board to Adjourn
Till Votes Are In.

Bismarck. N. D.. Aug. 23.-The
question as to whether $4,000 North
Dakota electors, fighting for their
country On foreign soil, are not dis
Sfranchised is now before Attorney
General LANCER for an opinion. Rep.
G. A. Reishus of Minot presented a
bill at the special session of the leg
islature last January designed to give
our soldiers q voice in the govern
ment Of their state while they are
away fighting our battles. The league
majority in the house f1oored the
Reishus bill and presented a substi-
money to defray the expenses Of a
voting commission to be named by
the governor to journey t France,
Italy and other foreign lands in
which our troops are billeted to hold
elections. There was SO much criti-
cism Of this measure that it finally
was withdrawn and another substi-
tute, adhering' closely to the features
troduced by Patterson. After much
amendment this bill finally passed. :
1t makes it the duty of the county
auditor at least IS days before any
general election other than primary,
of his own accord and without ap-
plication from any elector, to send
such absent voter ballot to such
%elector in the manner provided in
Sec. 997 Of the compiled laws of
envelope shall be enclosed for the
return of the ballot. The AFFIDAVIT
endorsed on the absent voter ballot
may be made by the elector before
his immediate commissioned COM
manding officer.
Election this year falls on Novem-
Der 5, and h absent voter ballots
would be mailed not later than Sep
TENDER 16. At least 40 days under
the most favorable conditions will be
required to vote and return these bal
ieved sixty days will be required.
The act Of the special session o Z
1918 provides that If the return en-
velope containing the soldiers ballot
is received too late to be forwarded
to h proper voting precinct IN time
to be c~anvassed, it shall be retained
by the county auditor and canvassed
by the county ~canvassing. board at
any time prior to the meeting of the
state c~anvassing board or at any
adjourned meeting Of the state can
wasting board, where the same has
been received by such auditor in
time to canvass and transmit the re-
suits to the state canvassing board"
The question, SO far as can be
learned, concerns the right of the
state canvassing board to adjourn
from day to day until such time as
all or a reasonable percentage of the
absent voter ballots are in. ]. is be-
lieved that the legislature in passing
the act regarded such d~ay-to-day
adjournment possible. Someone who
seems to be interested in either as
surfing the soldiers their voting
privilege or In making certain that
they can be denied it on a techni-
cality has asked for an opinion. The
attorney generals office has not to
date announced its ruling on the
matter.
There are approximately $4,000
North Dakota boys now in service
and majority Of them are Sighting
On foreign soil. They represent in
the neighborhood of II per cent Of
the electoral strength of the state and
their vote. in the present contest in
North Dakota. would be sufficient to
decide the issue, were it to go pre-
p~onderantly one way or the other. Il