Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1920-10-13
LIMITED BY ELECTORAL SYSTEM
Woman Thought Shc Could Vote for
Any Ono Sllc Pleased.
OK. +. NJ, Washington Correspondent
News and Courier.)

News and Courier)
1t can't be done!
A Northern woman Of Intelligence
and Of Independent turn Of mind, WAS
asked few days ago how she in
tended to vote i'm the November Pres
idcntiHl election.
"Wcll. haven't quite decided
whether or not shall vote in this
election" she replied. "If do vote.
am inclined at tbs time to cast my
ballot for former President Taft"
When told that she couldn't do
this tho lady expressed great sur
prise. IL should think" she said,
with some show of Indignation, "that
ought to have the right to vote for
any citizen in good standing for the
Chief MagiStry, without reference to
his formal nomination by any party.
might not wish to identify myself
with any party. In State elections
have written in the name Of citi-
zen who was not on the ticket, and
others have done the same. Why
can't do the same in a national elec
tion?"
Peculinritics Of the System.
1t merely happened" that the vo-
ter questioned was woman. While
it is doubtless true that men as Il
whole are better informed as to the
machinery Of elections in this coun-
try than are women, because they
have been longer used to its opera
ton, there are doubtless many male
voters who do not know that they
cannot vote for any ono for President
who has not been duly placed In NOM
ination.
The limitation Of Presidential pos
sibilities to the persons duly nomi-
mated by political parties is about
the only present effect Of the out
worn Electoral College system of
Presidential elections which is estab-
lished by the constitution of the Uni
ted States.
1t was the theory Of the founders
Of the government that Presidents
and Vice Presidents should be chosen
by the free judgment Of the members
OF an Electoral College, the member
ship in which Is apportioned among
the several States according to their
relative population. These electors
ere chosen at every Presidential cleo
ton in these days just as they we're
~ The early days Of Iau RcDublic;
Nat only for lhn FIRST rcN 2lccti1ns
GiH Ing #oe,nrs Ha'ur%iug g., the
"c3.!y"" 10 a'ty.h.Gr1".ra ..l.l,s.
isloc an.. indicated n@ryrnnya ~ no
voters of their districts as expressed
at the polls.
Each party that puts a Presiden-
tial ticket into the field must nomi-
nate also the number of electors al
lottcd to the State. and when Pres
idcntial election day rolls around the
voters cast their ballots for the cleo
tors who represent the party for
whose Presidential ticket the voters
desire to cast their influence. The
S'SS'oi - VI c'tCil otalc are DOunu oy
nnwrittcn law to vote in the Elcc-
toral College for the candidates for
President and Vice President who
have received the ma jority Of votes
in that State
Movement for Il Change.
There can be no change in this
limitation except by amending the
constitution Of the country. That
will probably be done some time.
but public sentiment will have to be
much more aroused on the subject
than 1T is now il the change IS to be
made. The demand for alteration.
such as it is, comes from the fact
that the survival Of the outworn
"college' hampers the freedom Of
the voters action, and also from the
possibility--rcmot as 1t is--that the
Electoral College might one of these
days break away from the unwritter
law and disregard the popular pref
ercnce as expressed in the States.
Even in following the unwritten law
the College has at times to elect
candidates who have not received
the plurality OF the popular vote.
IRIS occurred in 1SSS, when Grover
cleveland received nearly 100000
more votes in the nation at large
than benjamin Harrison, and IIarri-