The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-07-19
United States Election Laws

minimum of votes required-must
get signatures amounting to total
of one per cent of the vote cast for
the successful candidate for secre-
tary of state and that the total must
include one per cent of such vote
from at least 10 counties. At very
late date, our local comrades were
told that the presidential electors
could be placed on the ballot if pc
titions are signed by $500 voters.
There is nothing said to this effect
in the election law pamphlet sent
out by the state and our comrades
in Kansas could obtain no informa-
ton from the officials of the state.
The attorney general and the secre-
tary of state both refused to give
any information or to answer let
tiers sent from the national office.
The Kansas comrades employed sew
eral lawyers to help them with this
work. Not only did the lawyers
fail to obtain correct explanation
of the law, but they could not even
get out a correct form of petition.
NORTH CAROLINA. Population
1920 census, 2,555,296. This state,
which is building up a large tex
tile industry, is important as new
industrial state, and also because
it is one of the tier of states COM
posing the solid south, with Ne
gro population about equal to that
of the whites. To help new par
ties get on the ballot only 10000
signatures are required. Unfor-
tunately, our Party has only one
member-at-large in the entire state.
OHIO. Population 1920 census,
5,810,498. The law legalizes a par
ty as one that cast ten per cent of
the entire vote of the state in the
last general election. Other poll
teal organizations can go on the
ballot as Independents by securing
signatures equal to one per cent of
the entire vote of the state. This
year the minimum is 14,467. Before
filing, signatures must be submitted
for preliminary inspection to the
registrars in each county. At least
10000 signatures will have to be
raised to insure the Party a place
on the Ohio ballot.
MISSOURI. Population 1920 CEN
sus, 3,409,758. The law requires 2
per cent of the entire vote cast at
the last preceding general election.
This year, the minimum number of
signatures required is 26,107. A
legal party in this state is one that
casts 3 per cent of the vote.
PENNSYLVANIA. Population
1920 census, 8,774,347. This state
has comparatively liberal law. AL
though our vote in 1924 was only
2,735 we have good Party organiza-
ton in District 3 at Philadelphia
and in District 5 at Pittsburgh. The
law requires petitions signed by
one-half per cent of the vote cast
for the successful candidate for gov
ernor. This year the amount in sig
natures is 5,514. This state and
Massachusetts are practically the
only states which furnish printed pc
titions for use by parties trying for
place on the ballot. Unlike other
states, also, the law is clearly de-
fined and cannot be misunderstood.
A consideration of the figures of
our vote in Pennsylvania, (2,735 in
1924 together with the compare
lively small number of signatures
required give good comparative
picture of the obstacles to be over
come by us in the various states
of the country.
CONNECTICUT. Population 1920
census 1,394,324 The law requires
a state convention to be supplement-
ed by petitions signed by one per
cent of the total vote cast for the
office filed for in the last preceding
election. For electors this amounts
to 4,500 signatures.
ARIZONA. Population, 1920 CEN
sus, 340,84S. Petitions must be filed
carrying two per cent of the vote
in at least of the Id counties in
the state. The amount in each coun-
ty aside from Maricopa is not large.
but the distances are enormous and
the state very sparsely populated
We will probably fail in the state
but the activities of Comrade
O'Brien since his return from the
National Nominating Convention are
already commencing to bear fruit in
the shape of Party organization, the
spread of TUEL agitation and
jump in DAILY WORKER sub
scriptions.