San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-03-30
ELECTIONS BY MAIL

In so far as it represents will to
economic in the expenditure of the peo-
pies money, an election-by-mail bill re-
Gently introduced in the Montana Legis-
lature affords cause for popular gratifi-
cation irrespective of the question Of the
plans workability. According to man
who explains the measures provisions
in letter to Texas newspaper, public
economy is the definite object of the
bills authors. Literally, political econ
omy is what is sought; but that term
has such broad meaning that its appli-
cation to the proposed revolutionary
change in Montana's method of holding
elections would be confusing.
1t is claimed that as result of hold
ing elections by mail the people of Mon
tana would be saved about 100000.
Polling places would be done away with.
There would be no election judges to be
paid for their services as such. In fact,
nearly all of the expenses incurred in
holding primary elections under the pres
ent system would be eliminated. Each
citizen would fill out his ballot wher-
ever he happened to be when the time
came to vote, and would send it by mail
to the county clerks office in the county
of his legal residence. Thus the initial
cost to Mr.. Citizen would be two cents
unless, perchance. the ballot should be
so bulky as to require the placing Of,
say, Accent stamp on the sealed en-
vclope in which it would be sent.
The county clerk, with his batteries of
clerks and assistants, would canvass the
ballots received in the mails, paying par
ticular attention to signatures subscribed
thereto. 1t is estimated that the cost OF
holding an election in this way would
be about 10 cents per voter, as against
81 under the old system.
To persons long accustomed to an
election system of which polling places,
with all their familiar facilities" con-
stitute the most conspicuous part, the
plan proposed in Montana may seem
well-righ absurd on its face. That by
mail elections would make for fraud is
certainly plausible, but it is by no means
a foregone conclusion. One might think
that trouble with signatures would be
1HCNltdDlc dllu CONSTANT. nc county
clerk would have to employ any army OF
signature experts, it would seem.
But without expressing any mature
opinion, one might suggest that possibly
this apparent drawback would turn out
to be new facility. For example, il
every citizen should be required to regis
ter, and a vital part of the process OF
registering should be the writing of his
signature on the voting lists, the task
for those whose function it was to can
vass the ballots would be comparable
with that of bank tellers who handle
thousands of checks every day.
Another point worthy of consideration
perhaps, is that any person who at
tempted to vote for another might be
adjudged guilty of forgery. Further
more, citizens signature on the voting
lists might we'll constitute his pol-ta1
receipt, so to speak.
Such plan might or might not prove
practicable. The fact, or apparent fact
most worthy of note, however is tina
some of the lawmakers of at least onc
state are trying to respond to the popu
lar demand for economy in the admins
tration of the public's affairs. But "a
least" does not tell the whole story
Montana is not the only state in which
such an effort as the one outlined is be
ing made. In several other states SINH