New Britain herald., 1918-02-23
REGISTRATION OF
 WOMAN VOTE LIGHT
Just Like the Men, Stormy
 Weather InteriereS

New York. Feb. 23.-For the first time in the history of New York City women went to the polls yesterday and registered in order to vote under voting is to be done on March in four congressional districts of the city where special elections are being held to fill vacancies due to members of congress having resigned. Two of these districts, the twenty-first and twenty second, are in the upper part of Manhattan and the lower part of the Bronx, and two are in Brooklyn
 For the most part the women did not show any undue excitement or eradication over the fact that they are now on a. voting equality with men. In each of the four districts the registration was extremely light even the political leaders being sur prised at the poor showing. They expect much better results today, however, when the polls will be open from a. m until 10 p. m. Yester- day the registry booths did not open until D. m. and closed at 10 D. m. Moreover, the day was stormy and it was a holiday.
 The women who did go to the polls acted like old-timers in stating their qualifications for the franchise. They answered all questions put by the polling clerks promptly and without confusion, and in the majority of cases unhesitatingly told their correct age, or at least, did not tell the clerk haughtily to put it down as being lover 21." In one election district in the Bronx nineteen women regis tered, and only one refused to tell her age.
 Know More Than Men.
 The Brooklyn women acted very much as did their Manhattan sisters. It was very noticeable in many cases that the new voters had studied up on the subject, for they outclassed the men in their familiarity with the rules. In other cases the women were ac- companied to the registry places by their husbands or male relatives, and they did not have the slightest trouble Very few men voted because of the fact that those who registered last year are not required to register for this election. Only those are re- quired to register who since last cleo tion have moved from one election district to another in the congress district, Or who have come of age since the last election.
 In the twenty first Congressional district the registration totaled 1881, and in the Twenty district the total was 97s. Both Brooklyn dis tricts made a better showing. Tho Seventh had a total of 1,239, and the English a total of 1,570. In many cases in both Manhattan and Brooklyn there were cases of not more than three and four women voting to an election district. In one polling place in the Bronx, which has a large popu- lation, only seven women had regis tered when the polls closed. Arnold l.. Ayers, Chairman of the registration board, said this held practically true throughout the Bronx. It was ex- plained by clerks in some of the poll ing places that the fact that the regis tration hours conflicted with those hours during winch yves prepare meals at home had something to do with the poor showing.
 Weather Interfered.
 Women citizens, who had their first chance to register last evening in four Congressional districts in the city, very generally followed the man. made custom of allowing this particu- lar business of state to wait for favor able weather. The first observation which was made by most of the elec- ton officers about women voters was that they were very much like the men. They had full as hearty a re- spect for a snowstorm, and were equally quick to realize that there was no particular necessity for rush. ing to a polling place on the first day of registration. Experienced election officers predicted that the new citizens would be much like the old fashioned kind in that about 50 per cent would vail till the last minute to register. while a healthy minority would forget to register at all.
 There was evidently little of a mere ly scientific curiosity in the new voter to have the sensation of being a tuli~ f1edged citizen engaged in a transac- ! ton with ones state. At any rate, the snowstorm apparently prevailed against the craving for political eX- perience.
 ] Generally the wesnen who registered were women who had campaigned for