Evening star., 1936-11-04
SCORE PROTEST
DENIAL OF BALLOTS
Montgomery Officials Are
Puzzled by Claim of
No Challenges.
BY Stan Correspondent OF The Star.


ROCKVILLE, Md, November A.
More than a score of Montgomery
County residents were deprived of their
votes in yesterdays balloting under
circumstances that officials Of the
board Of election supervisors were at
loss to explain today.
Stricken from the registration books
were people who, election officers said,
apparently had failed to answer cita-
tions, but the disgruntled citizens de-
clared they had failed to receive any
notice Of challenge.
Their complaints, made to attaches
at the supervisors headquarters in the
court house, struck the only discordant
note in one Of the most peaceful and
uneventful elections in Montgomery
political history.
Record Number Expected.
The Official canvass, beginning at
noon tomorrow, Is expected to reveal
that between 80 and 95 per cent of the
county's 2s,s57 registered voters ap-
peared at the polls during the day to
set q new record.
However, there was not the slightest
semblance Of disorder or confusion in
handling the large crowds. Police de-
clared that no complaints were re-
ceived of trouble in the polls and the
election passed without an arrest for
disorderly conduct or other violations.
John A. England, clerk of the super
visors, said the score or more residents
who complained that their names had
been struck from the books hailed
mainly from the suburban district i'm
mediately adjacent to Washington, but
q few were turned in from the rural
areas also.
1T appeared they lost their vote
because of neglect on the part Of some
one, but there Is nothing our board
can do about 1t at this time." he said.
Personal Notice Required.
England explained the law required
registration officials to mail one chal-
lenge to the last-known address Of
person cited to show why their name
should not be removed from the book,
and further stipulated that another
notice must be delivered in person to
the challenged voter.
1T may have been neglect on the
part Of some registration officials, or
it may have been through oversight
on the part Of some who were chal-
lenged," q member of the board de-
clared. 1--WE can't tell at this time just
where the trouble lies"
One of those to lose his vote was .
colored preacher who has resided in
Rockville for years and who said he
never received a citation of any de-
scription, England added.
The clerk said the only possible
action on the part Of those refused .
vote yesterday would be to institute
steps to have their names restored to
registration records for subsequent
elections.
An unidentified woman who left her
sick-bed to vote at the Bethesda
County building went away disap-
pointed because poll officials were so
busily engaged handling persons with
in the building that they could not
leave their posts to 60 to her car and
accept her ballot.
Two other residents who had in
tended to vote for Roosevelt died be-
fore they could reach the polls.
One of these was George W.. Hig-
gins, 81. q retired farmer and the old
est voter In the Glen Echo precinct.
He died suddenly as he was preparing
to leave his home.
The other was Charles d. ClugSton,
81, Of Is West Woodside street, Chevy
Chase, Nd, who planned to vote for
the President. He had been confined
by illness for the past i've months.
Interest in the election was the
most intense ever displayed In . ma
tional election In Montgomery. Nearly
1000 workers for the two major
parties were kept on the Jump driving
voters to and from the polls in auto
mobiles.
Included among those who ap-
peared were . number Of sick people
who left their beds to support the
standard-bearers Of their parties. One
Of these was Maj. Howard w. Cutler,
Washington and public school archi-
tect for MONTGOMERY Couu, vino