The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1924-10-02
Open First Volley in Edu-
catioaal Drive to Bring
Out Full Vote.
KENOSHA TAKES PART
Kenosha Evening News Will
Join National Organizations
in Promoting Campaign!

Kenosha Evening News, together
with other newspaper members of
Newspaper Enterprise Association
throughout the country, is publish
ing in the interests of fuller vote
in the coming presidential election.
The figures and facts which this
series of articles will point out are
regarded as important enough to
merit the serious consideration of
every intelligent citizen who has the
interests of his country at heart.
The articles will be repeated from
time to time and will be of nom
partisan nature. Their only aim is
to make the reader ''vote as you
pIease-but vote!"
In the 1920 presidential election
over 25 million American citizens who
were eligible to vote failed to cast
their ballots.
The people who did vote totalled
26,713,832. Their votes were divided
among the various presidential candi-
dates.
This was the situation: For every
100 votes cast there we're SO stay-at-
homes or absentees-the total stay-at-
home vote reaching the vast aggregate
of 20,705,063.
That brought the nation very close
to government by minority. Unless
the people awaken to their duty of
citizenship, less than half of our citi-
zens will vote this fall.
Then we will have government by
minority.
In an effort to awaken the public
to it's duty the Kenosha Evening News,
working in cooperation with Newspa-
per Enterprise Association, of which
this paper is a member, will join in
nationwide SECT Out-the-V o e"
campaign.
Nonpartisan Effort.
This campaign, which will be strict
ly nonpartisan, has been endorsed by
the three presidential candidates,
scores of prominent citizens and pa
triotic organizations.
The vast army Of non-voters can
elect or defeat any candidate-if the
vote can be polled. If ten per cent
of the stay-atzhomes in "rock-ribbed"
states were colonized in doubtful
states" they would decide any close
national contest.
The stay-at-home total of over
twenty-five million is arrived at after
deducting S,467,625 disqualified citi-
zens OF 21 years and over, including
about 100000 alien or unnaturalized
foreign borns and over two million IL
literate citizens, disfranchised under
election laws of IL southern states.
Kentucky has the least stay-at-home
x1nfo Thnra ~
for each 100 votes registered at the
polls at the last general election. The
second best record was in Delaware,
where 33 remained away for every 100
who voted. Indiana was third with
only 35 stay-at-homes.
Make Best Showing.
Twelve states Of the upper Missis-
sippi Valley, known as the middle
west, make by all odds the best show
ing for any geographic section. Ohio
Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wis
consin show 65 stay at-homes per 100
votes, while three middle Atlantic
states-New York, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania--had ga absentees for
the same number Of votes.
But the best showing is made by
Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North and
South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas
SO stay-at-homes compared with 80 per
100 votes in New England.
Pennsylvania has the worst show
ing of any large state, casting 1851
248 votes for president in 1920, while
FATS, 100 voters failed to reach the
polls. For every 100 persons who
did vote, there we're 1873 who did not.
A similar condition prevails in Yer
mont, classed as a "rock-ribbed Re-
publican" state, which stands second
to Pennsylvania in the percentage of
the -homes-113 for 100 votes.
This is the same percentage as that
of Arizona, where vast distances and
large transient cowboy and Mexican
element affect voting efficiency.
Laws are Hurtful.
While apathy Of the voters is di-
rectly responsible for this neglect Of
citizenship duties, election laws also
contribute greatly to the stay-at-home
vote.
Most of the states have recently
tried to overcome the loss of abb
sentees votes by enacting absentee
voting laws. But few of these laws
are efficient in reaching the result de-
sired, for the simple reason that the
absentees are required to register in
person in order to vote by mail.
1t may be as difficult for the abb
sentee to go to his home precinct to
register as to go there and vote. AS
consequence, at least rs per cent Of
the value of the absentee voting law
is nullifed by stringent registration
laws.