The Clayton news. (Clayton, N.M.) 19??-1954, 1921-06-18
ELECTION COST STATE
$4,000 THIS FALL

Santa Fe, June li.--Amending the |
constitution OF the state of New
Mexico is not only difficult but ex-
pensiVe. The Il amendments pro-
posed, which will be voted upon at
the special election on Sept. 20, will
require the printing Of 4,576OO0 bal
lots These will cost approximately
$4,000. Publication of the proposed
amendments in the newspapers OF
the several counties will reach a
cost of nearly 5000. Other print
ing incident to the election, regis
tration and poll books and instruc-
ton cards will cost about $1,000
more. This brings the total cost of
printers ink and newspaper space to
the round sum Of $4,000. All this
cost will be borne by the state.
Other costs, carried by the several
counties, will be about $4,000 bring
ing the total cost of the constitution
81 amendment election to $4,000.
In this particular election there
will be slight increase in the cost,
by reason of the fact that Gov. Me
chem has issued a writ of election,
calling a general election for the
same date, to elect a United States
senator. This additional cost will
be only about $1,000, which will be
expended for the ballots for the SEN
atOrial election. The dist ibutiOn of
the two sets of ballots will be made
at one time, thus reducing the cost
of distributing the senatorial bal
lots to a very low figure.
This printing bill, which may ap-
pear TO be high. is in compliance
with a provision of the constitution
which is that each proposed amend
ment submitted shall be offered TO
the voter on a separate ballot, print
ed in both English and Spanish. The
constitution provides further that
the proposed amendments shall be
printed in English in each county
that has a newspaper printed in
English, and may be printed also
in Spanish in any county having a
Spanish language newspaper. The
matter of printing in Spanish also
in any of the counties is for the sec
retary of state to decide. The ques-
ton hinges upon the number of
persons who do not read English,
and who may be reached through the
Spanish language newspapers.
OF ballots for each amendment
there must be printed double the
number of voters taking part in the
last general election. In round num-
bers there were 100000 Ovtes cast in
the last election, which would mean
208,000 ballots for each amendment.
For the fl amendments, then, there
will be 2,288.OO0 official ballots
printed for use on election day. Then
there must be like number of sam
pie ballots, TO afford ample OppOr-
tunity for the public TO study be-
fore going to the polls. The ballots
will be uniformly inches in width,
varying in length from to i8 in
ches. English in the first column,
Spanish in a parallel column. The
official ballots will be on white pa
per, the sample ballots on colOred
paper.
; BernalillO county will get the high
est number of these ballots, $4,000,
San Miguel following closely with
4.9000 The lowest number will go
TO Hidalgo and Lea counties. each re-
ceiYing 1890. These ballots will
be forwarded to the county clerk of
each Of the 81 counties and that Of
fetal will see TO the distribution 10
the several precincts,
Publication will be made in some
35 newspapers, including the Span
ish language publications. There is
now no new9paper in the new county
ok Catron. but one likely will be es-
tablished IN time to carry this legal
publication, which will make some
40 lines Of type. varying from four
to five columns Of newspaper
page The division Of Mora county
by the creating OF Harding county
cut off two newspapers from Mora
and the one remaining newspaper,
at Wagon Mound. has been removed
TO Las Vegas Sandoval for long
time was the only county having
no newspapers and has not yet in
creased the number Tne Va.encia
paper, a. Belen is published with
unfailng irregularity, and may not