El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-03-20
MAKING VOTERS READ AND WRITE
ENGLISH PARTLY REFORMS POLITICS

IL NA-lLlAll i L Al IL
much interest to local politicians and to all citizens
interested in good government IS the bill OF repre-
- sentative R. z. Thomson, Of FL Paso, apparently
about to be passed by legislature prohibiting any per
son from assisting voter IN the preparation OF his ballot
unless the voter IS over 90 years OF age and physically
disabled providing that the voter be able
read and write the English language.
This Is what IS known IN many states the educa-
olal qualification and has been adopted in states where
pronounced need reforming the ballot has become
manifest None needs 1t than Texas. Arizona IS the
state nearest TO which has such law in effect.
An amendment adopted in the house, exempting
from the educational qualification anyone who has been
citizen Of the United States q years Such person would
be allowed TO vote though he could not read write
English This is Tor the protection Of those elderly Cti
zeus Of Mexican OF other foreign ancestry who have dted
along far up into the years without having learned more
than perhaps conversational knowledge Of English,
DIT whose Citizenship IS so vel established that II would
61 8 mucn an nsce 10 oepIVe them OF the vote as II
would be hardship TO try to compel them to acquire
reading and writing knowledge Of English.
The effect Of law ike this is to bar out of the
'-lizgers" such Mexicans who picked up by
E-rupuous politicians and voted indiscrimnaely the
border and The negroes n other sections OF Texas Teach
ing ringers TO read and wrte would be troublesome
task TO the point Of being forbddng Furthermore foreign
aspiring to citizenship and the ballot would feel obliged
gather knowledge Of the English language than
the little which is required for citizenship.
Arizona that part Of the law barring voters from
beng assisted by other persons is certainly evaded Voters
Of Mexican birth OF ancestry who cannot read or write
EnEish procure sample ballots Those marked for
then By persons interested in the outcome Of the election
the takes the sample, tucked away pocket
the booth with min He lays 1t down beside the blank
ballot he is III ont, matching them up carefully
possibe Then he puts IN the crosses to correspond.
But the law helps the extent that there IS way OF
csrrecnF him Il he makes mistake Thus he may place
MS crosses correctly horizontally but vertically they may
be wrong That is, he may pick the wrong column and
the Republican ticket the Socialist instead Of the
Democratic for sake Of illustration Or he may pick the
night column his but BY matching up the ballots
rouEy vote for the wrong candidates when three
out q i've are 20 chosen Or he may tumble up the
hos ballot SO badly that is thrown when the count
takes place That about what VIII happen here when
such law goes into operation 1t helps by confOunding
these who Try TO evade its intent
As for the requirement that voters be able to read and
e the Arizona law requires that they be able to read
aad they are generally tried ont section of the
Gtuou Of the United States If political workers have
idea what paragraphs to be used test they can
PIT their through short but very intensive schooling
making them commit the paragraphs to memory. It works
al night when those paragraphs called for, but
l11Iousy When the examiners call for something else and
The aspiring rates off the piece he has been taught
So IS time goes On, il is working out that voters
learning really to read and write English.
We cont have many alien ringers hanging around our
pos 70 vote and then repeat while the is going
and that is something But law such this, If well
forced VIII be Of material assistance IN raising the stand
ard Of the electorate Its benefit VIII be gradual perhaps