Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-04-08
ABANDON SCHOOL ELECTION REFORM.

1t is to be regretted that Assemblyman Peter
son has found it advisable to abandon his efforts
TO improve the conditions under which district
school elections are held each spring. Mr.. Peter
son says the reason he has decided not to press
his bill is because he has been assured that
such condition as prevailed at the school cleo
lions last February will not be repeated and as
he did not wish to compel people to do some
thing that they were willing to do voluntarily
he would let his bill providing for certain re-
forms in these elections die.
All this is very interesting. Who are the peo-
pie who have promised to be good? And II the
people in any school district have promised to
voluntarily reform, what assurances are there
that such reform will take place all over the
\ state?
District school elections under existing laws
are a most perfunctory affair. They are about
as loosely conducted as the election of a child
dren's sewing society. Anything and everything
goes. The existing school board is in charge and
nominations can be made according to the in
terest taken. No ballots are furnished, or, at
least, any kind of a ballot will do. even to the
writing of a maine on a piece of wrapping paper
or the back Of an old envelope. Aside from the
Act that the polls must be open for at least one
Y, the time and place of holding the election
4he option of the school board the men,
vbers of which, in most instances. are candidates
to succeed themselves. Under such conditions
1t would require a genuine upheaval in a bor-
ough or township to GUST those already in. The
.ins" have the absolute mastery of the situation.
= 30 much that the average citizen has failed to
Ike any in nest in the proceedings.
Knee N len have been given the right to
chool elections take on an al
aspect. II there is any one
fairs that women are inter
public school. Naturally. they
a voice in the selection of those
in the schools. With the elections
5 they are. however, any independ-
is practically hopeless.
les of the evils of the present lax meth
cdS seen in Roosevelt and in Woodbridge
in til county at the last election. In Roose-
welt i was charged that many people who had
NJ right to vote cast their ballot without there
being any means whatever of checking them up.
In Woodbridge a machine" ticket was printed
containing only the names of the three ma
chine" candidates all of whom were members
of the old Board of Education running for re-
election. These ballots were freely distributed
by the .machine'workers to voters in line, many
OF whom got tired of waiting out in the cold
the election being held from 7 until s O'Clock
at night-and went home. There was no pro-
vision for writing any other name on the ballot
and no means for scratching a printed name and
writing in another if there had been such pro-
vision. In the case of hundreds of voters it
was a choice between voting for the three ma
chine candidates or not voting at all. Besides
the members of the school board stood around
the ballot box where they could see how every
body voted. The whole thing was a farce and
honest citizens went home disguised.
Reports from other parts of the state show
a similar situation. 1t was for the purpose OF
remedying this condition that Assemplyman
Peterson introduced his bill known as House
Bill No. 400. This measure was not perfect pS
any means, but it provided for a decided I'M
provement over existing lax conditions. Ina
he has decided not to call it up on third reading