The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-08-31
PAYMENT OF POLL
TAX NOT NECESSARY
Every Woman in State Over FL
Years Old Who Registers with
Board of Civil Authority and
Takes Freeman's Oath Entitl-
ed to Vote for President and
State Officials.

Montpelier, Aug, 31.-The women
Of Vermont can vote at the state pri-
maries September IA when a candidate
for governor and other state officers
will be nominated and at the general
election in November by getting their
names on the check lists and without
the payment of poll or any other kind
of tax, declares Acknowledgement
Frank c. Archibald
The attorney general says that the
proclamation of the equal suffrage
amendment to the United States
Constitution by Secretary of State
Colby automatically makes women
voters and declares that no addition
al legislation is needed in Vermont
to make it possible for the new vot.
ers to assume their newly granted
right.
Mr. Archibald continued that there
was no longer any dist notion be-
tween men and women so far as
political rights are concerned and
that the Constitutions being the
supreme law of the land, all states
statutes which are based on such
distinction are swept aside and men
and women stand on an absolute
Iequelity. What the statutes require
of men in the way Of qualification is
now required of women, no more
and no less,
Secretary of State Harry Black,
on whom falls the duty under the
law of preparing and providing the
ballots to be used on primary day.
says that sufficient number of extra
ballots to meet the new situation are
now being printed
In order TO clear up any confusion
which may exist Secretary Black will
on Wednesday send out a letter to
the town and city clerks. setting
forth the new conditions and calling
their attention to the fact that wo-
men are now voters and can get
their names placed on the check
I Ii t.
! Secretary Black said that women
have only to present themselves be-
fore boards of c vii authoity at
their meetings and, being qualified
/ by American citizenship, age and
length of residence, have themselves
enrolled as voters exactly as men.
The attorney general makes 1t
very plain that no tax qualification is
necessary There has been some con-
fusion on this point, because women
(as have mem have been required
to pay poll tax in order to qualify
as voters in town and city meetings.
the extent to which women suffrage
has been granted in Vermont up until
this time
But there is no tax qualification
for men in state primaries or gen.
eral elections and there can be none
for women. The attorney general says
that no woman can be denied her right
to get on the check list on the ground
that she has not paid a tax or previous
ly expressed her intention to vote.
The amendment to the Constitution
brings about an entirely new situation.
A woman does not have to pay tax
neither does she, in enrolling herself,
make herself liable to pay tax.
Acknowledgement Archibald was ask
ed if he intended to inform town and
city clerks and boards OF civil authority
of the new conditions. He answered
that he had no authority to do so,
that the officials in charge Of making
up a check list are supposed to keep
themselves informed of such matters,
and he thought that so big thing as
amending the federal Constitution
could not escape their attention.
He said that the boards of civil au-
thority are required to hold meetings
for the revision of check lists previous
to the primaries and elections and that
they are supposed to give proper no.
tce of their meetings. The final meet
= ing is generally held on the Saturday
previous to the election or primary
he said The women are supposed to
keep track of these announcements
and present themselves for enrolment
if they wish to vote.
The list of men voters is now
supposed to be posted In town and
city clerks offices. Women have a
right to get their name on that list
if they are at least Il years Of age,
have lived in this state at least a
year before September IA and are
American citizens Like men, they
have to take the Freeman's Oath