Evening star., 1932-02-25
VIRGINIA ELECTION
CHANGE PROPOSED
Bill Provides Second Primary
in Event Majority Vote
Is Lacking.
BY STAFF Correspondent Of The Star.

! BY a STAFF Correspondent of The Star
| RICHMOND, Va, February 25.-The
administration bill for the revision and
| codification of the election Laws of the
State. which includes numher of
! radical changes, was introduced yester-
day IN the House Of Delegates
One OF the most important changes
made Is that when there are three
or more candidates for Governor and
none receive a majority vote in the
! regular primary there shall be a sec
ond primary for the selection of the
| partyS nominee
The second primary would be held
on the flrst Tuesday in September
next preceding the general election in
November, this being one month after
the primary election. and the candi-
oates 10 De voted upon would be the
Two VINO received the highest and next
nlgHeSI number Of votes, respectively,
Absent Voters Change.
Several changes are made in the
absent voters law, which has been
the subject Of complaints during the
past several years.
IN one section it is provided that in
oroer Tor a person to vote as an absent
Voter IL is necessary for such absent
voter to be actually absent from his
city or county, or physically unable to
go TO the polls. In order to secure
ballot, the applicant would be re-
CURED 10 accompany his application
with an ati1davit to the effect that he
Will be absent on the day of election
or unable to go to the polls.
The method Of voting absent ballots
IN hot ttV,rr
may begin at o'clock on the after
noon of the election and continue until
all ballots entitled to be voted have
been voted. At the present time the
ballots OF absent voters are voted after
the polls close.
Dernlte provisions are made in this
section for allowing challenges to be
MED with the judges of election and for
giving an opportunity for such chal-
lengeS to be heard before the votes are
cast. An additional provision under
this section would provide for the re-
lection of an absent voters ballot if he
is present in his election district while
the polls are open, unless he be
physically unable to go to the voting
place.
Bar Independent Candidates.
BY an additional section, candidates
Wiz nave DSen QSIedJeQ III LIle primary
election would be prevented from
running as independents in the sue
ceeding general election. In order to
accomplish this the candidate would
be required in his declaration of
candidacy to authorize the election
cfacers, in event Of his defeat in the
primary, not to print his name on the
ballot used in the general election.
1t is further provided that persons
who sign petitions Of candidates for
nomination be required to express their
intention to vote for such candidates
IN the primary election.
To the section which now limits ex-
penSes Of candidates in primary elec-
tions has been added provision limit
ing the expenses Of candidates in other
elections to a sum not in excess of
the compensation of the person holding
the office during the preceding year, or
if the ONCE has been newly created the
compensation shall not exceed that pro-
vided for the first fiscal year after its
creation.
$4,000 Limit Set.
Candidates for a State Office elected
by the voters Of the State at large
would not be permitted to expend a
sum in excess Of $4,000.
NeW PROVISIONS nave Deen dOQeQ 10
require persons other than candidates,
as well as the candidates, to file state
ments of money expended by them in
elections. If such persons are acting
as committee or group the statement
would be filed by the treasurer thereof
but If person is acting alone he would
be required to file his own statement
The present method of marking a
ballot by drawing a line through the
names of the candidates for whom a
person does not wish to vote would be
changed to provide that there be printed
Immediately preceding the name of each
candidate a small square and that the
voter designate his cnoice by mark
in the square opposite the name Of
the candidate for whom he wishes to
vote.
Other changes provided are merely
of clarifying nature.