The Maui news. [volume] (Wailuku, Maui, H.I.) 1900-current, 1922-08-18
PRIMARIES AND SECRECY

Proposals for direct party primaries as embodied in the Re
publican platform can be carried out without rending the veil of
secrecy around the ballot that some voters desire maintained. That
is, the general purposes of the proposal can be carried out without
requiring a voter to declare his party afiliation.
Chief objection that has been raised to the proposal in the plat
form has been that the voter would have to announce his party afhi-
atom before scc,ring and casting his ballot Tins making Knowledge
of his political views public. 1t is held that such a plan would be
Objectionable because the employer would know, or could readily
learn, how each and every voter in his or its employ voted. The
secret ballot law as it used to prevail in the State of New Jersey
removes the objection Under 1t there Is no need OF a declaration
of party and no way by which another can know how a voter ballots.
In operation of the New Jersey law a voter on going to the polls
was given a set of ballots, one Of each of the parties that had tickets
in the field. and an official envelope. He took the ballots and the en-
velope into the booth, placed the ballot he desired to cast in the en-
velope, came out and gave it to the inspector at the ballot box and the
latter deposited it, unopened, i'll the proper receptacle. The official
envelopes bore a facsimile Of the county clerks signature to prevent
fraud and the election inspectors had to account Tor every envelope
with which they were entrusted as "A further guard against ballot
box stufing. On the shelf of each booth, before the polls were
opened, the inspectors scattered numbers of the ballots of all of the
parties, each deposiing some so that none would know how many of
any one party were in the booths. All were printed in the same ink
and on the same color and weight of paper.
Carrying out that principal in Hawaii where there are now only
two parties, the voter at the primaries would be given a Republican
and a Democratic ballot and an envelope instead of a blanket bal
lot with both tickets printed on it as is the custom at present and
would remain the custom at the general election. In the booth he
or she would mark the party ballot selected, putting cross marks
after the names of the candidates for which the ballot is to be cast,
leave the ballot of the party rejected on the shelf of the booth with
the numerous other ones scattered there, go to the poll clerks and
deliver the ballot enclosed in the official envelope.
In that way a voter would be restricted to a choice from the
candidates of one party, which party he n she alone would know.
1t would be impossible to ballot at the primary for some of the can
didates Of both parties. Split tickets could be voted at the general
election but not at the primaries. There could be a provision in the
law that ne ballots must De marked strictly according &c printed
directions upon it and that where it was not so marked the entire
ballot would be invalid. In that way a voter would be prevented
from voting for only one or two candidates of the several to be
nominated and would participate actively in the naming of a full
and complete party ticket.
Such a plan might not prevent entirely voters of one party
participating in the primary of the other but it would prevent a voter
from balOting for some candidates of both parties. He would have
to forego the privilege of assisting in the nomination of candidates
of his own party if he wished to participate in the selection of the
ticket of the other party. 1t would not, in other words, be a perfect
preventive of "a Democrat voting in the Republican primary but it
would act as such to most intents and purposes.
In New Jersey the law worked well for years at the general
elections. The ballot was as secret as the Australian or blanket bal
lot has proved to be anywhere and much more simple in operation
for the tickets are smaller, more compact and more readily voted
and counted.
The proposal is not to change the general election law of Ha-
wall where the blanket ballot would continue is use, but merely to
use the separate ballot system at the primaries to make them Is near
ly representative of party organizations as can be done without max
ing the voter announce his political views before or when exercis-
ing his right of suffrage.