Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-11-01
D0HERTY HAS PLAN TO
F;A!CiL|TATE VOTE COUNT
Returns Should BE In by 0:3U
Tuesday Night, Says Former
~ Committee Chairman.
PRESENT METHOD TEDIOUS
Segregation of Ballots and Mere
Matter of Addition and Subtrac-
ton Would Make Task Exceed
tngly Simple One.

u. Iherc is no good and sufficient
s. .eason why the returns from the
injections to he held In Richmond on
I,uesday, municipal. State and ma
Ks stona!. should not be in tho hands OF
ne City Democratic Committee. or
essany other body. for an unofficial
s;:tanrass. at 1890 o'clock Tuesday
2ssrsght. SO that the people Of the city
ef,hlaS know tho results of the cleo
iSsspn here before they go to bed"
sif Such was the declaration made
yesterday by; James Dohcrty. forme r
Estate Commissioner of Labor and for
frany years chairman OF the City
smocratic Committee.
80 the officers OF election in tho
Grccincts will follow plan in max
; ling the count Of the ballots which
{ IA have seen successfully worked on,
~ herc. the total vote OF the city can
Sfsbc counted within three hours" Mr..
s!eflpoherty pursued. He said the OK :
had been made at his sug-
ssJscstion and under his direction In a
Aprecinct where over 500 ballots had
been cast. The former Labor Com :
missioner said he would gladly ex-
.,Aplain the plan to the members OF
tho city electoral board in control
a NhN SiSNNioh' VI W any u
.sthe election who desire 10 test its
! efficiency next Tuesday.
"a Dohcrty Explains Process.
Describing the process, Mr.. Doherty
-sssaid. explaining how much time is
3Nunnecessarily lost which his process
8of counting will save:
~ Under the slipshod system now in
Mroguc in Richmond. when the polls
! are closed, the first step taken in
4athe count by the election officers in
Sthc precinct polling place is to de-
stroy all the unused ballots.
a.. Next in order comes an cXam!na-
!; ton of the books to ascertain the
r.numbcr OF ballots that have been re-
I. corded as pollcd Then the ballots
y. are piled on n table, still unfoidcd.
y and told Off to see II the number cor
vi responds with the book records.
i. after that has been done. they are
- unfoldcd and tedious process of
- reading and telling off is begun,
n which wastes time prodiC iousiy and
should have been long ago dispensed
with.
The plan I am suggesting simpli-
nes the count amazingly and saves
30 much time that. IL is is adopted.
the task qan be completed in less
election, inas. consume in the polling
HcSteSh befofe making their returns"
rEerred to tho vote for Treasurer.
Arrive at Result Quickly.
The; process 1 suggest for next
oEdaE's nt Ectlon Is to tako the ball
WHOM tMey are dumped nn the
e. 0PeT them, set apart the de-
i've ballots in one pile, then seq
ate the Understanding candi-
ite's ballots FROM the rest. wnicn
be easy to GH upon. Another
|;arate pile is then to be made Of
ballots poilcd for the next low
and then the next. Adding al
G and substracting tho total from
total number of votes in the re-
ming largest pile shows the vote
for the winning candidate ana
total cast in the city.
he scheme may mot work on,
cxactitudc. The election com :
!oncrs may disclose inaccuracy
In they canvass the vote later IN
week. but the thing desired Is
omplishcd--the actual result OF
election wtSl+ be. made known 20
public before il o'clock. rs Ia
hitter of fact, the returns should be
by $3.50 o'clock. Having seen the
Sstem worked out with absolute ac-
- curacy in the count in the large pre-
cnct we chose for the experiment. I
am convinced that 1t can be done all
owe. the city simultaneously. am
at the service OF the election officers
il they desire my assistance"