Smyrna times., 1925-04-15
PERMANENT REGISTRATION
Plan Is Worked Out
Whereby 1926 List Will Be Made
Permanent.-VOteO or Lose Right

NOn-PartlSan Plan Is Worked Out
Whereby 1926 List Will Be Made
Permanent.-VOteO or Lose Right
One of the most far-reaching mea.
sures acted upon by the present ses-
sion of the General Assembly, report
ed from the committee on elections to
the Senate as a substitute for Sena-
tor Aliens bill to put into effect
changes to conform to the cOnstitu
tional amendment authorizing a per-
manent registration of voters. The
proposed law was drafted by Henry
Ridgely, Democrat, and James NJ.
Saterfeld, Republican, attorneys, of
Dover. In general, it provides for
new permanent registration on the
five customary days in 1926, and
supplementary registration every year
thereafter in which general election
is held. Persons who become regis
tered in 1926 will not have to be reg
istered again unless they disqualify
themselves by removal from the dis
trict in which they resided or in some
other way. The general scheme for
registrars, assistant registrars, and
alternate registrars is the same as at
present. One radical innovation in
the bill would make it necessary af-
ter 1926 when a voter removes from
district to secure from his former
registration officers a certificate to
the effect that he has had his name
stricken from the books of the district
in which he resided before. Upon
presentation of this certificate to the
registration officers of the district in
which he is then qualified to vote he
would have his name enrolled upon
the books of that district.
Must Vote or Lose Your Right
The bill has one feature that will
cause a shock to some men and wOm-
en- who register and do not vote.
Registered voters, who for any reason
whatever, do not vote will have their
names stricken from the book of vOt-
ers. To vote at a succeeding election
it will be necessary for them to quail
ify themselves by re-registering at
the next supplementary registration.
This provision is designed to eliminate
the growing body of voters who in re-
spOnse to the plans of party workers
become registered and then intention
ally absent themselves from the polls
Persons who do not vote at the gen.
eral election will be put to the. in
convenience of registering over again
while those who have voted will not
have to register again unless they
have disqualified themselves in the
district where they voted last. II
1926 there will be five registration
days, with the hours for registering
! from a. m. to Z p. m. The registra
tion officers are appointed as at pres
ent, outside of Wilmington by tht
Governor, and in Wilmington by th'
Department of Elections, from list
submitted by the political party cOun
, ty executive committees. The supple
!, mentary registrations after 1926 vii
. be held in three days the first Satur
:. day in August and the third Saturda,
!. next preceding the day of the elec
, tion.
5 Provisions Are Made for an Appeal
d The board of registration officer
T shall cause to be stricken from tn
y registration books the names of al
d persons they are satisfied are deaC
5. They also sit as an appeal board an
}. may remove the names of any Othe
persons they are satisfied have no
r, the right to vote. Persons who's
:, names are so removed may appea
+. from the registration officers to tn
IS resident Judge. His decision is fins
!, The times and manner of presentin
/; appeals before the resident judge
} the same as at present. RegistratiO
r officers shall be paid $3.50 for eac
/ day of actual service. If special eleC
ID tions are called there shall be tw
W spevcial registration days precedin
ID such special election. RegistratiO
S. officers and other persons who viOlat
$. the registration laws may be punish
r, ed by both fine and Imprisonment
N the judgment of the court. Person
[. who register wrongly or commit
$, breach of the peace around the regi:
l. tration places may be imprisoned M
Id exceeding $4,000, or both, at the di!
s, cretion of the court. There is prov
I'd sion also for auxiliary registrars
s, conduct the registration for person
r who are in the military or naval SCI
r, vice of either the State or the Unite
r States.
r