The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1940-11-07
How BoIIots
Are Printed Will
Interest Many

what rules are followed in the print
ing Of the names. of candidates on
official ballots at general elections,
the following explanation is made
and should be of interest to many.
It should also set at rest any worry
that might have arisen. In the print
ing of ballots certain hard and fast
stipulatlons Of law must be fol-
lowed
This year new kind of ballot
was used in the general election.
The law provides that the names OF
candidates in primary elections must
be rotated, j. e., changed at GER
tain specified intervals in the print
ing Of the ballots. Heretofore the
law has not required any rotating
of names on general election ballots
because there was only one can
didate for the same office in each
party and there could be no reason
for any rotation. But under the new
ballot arrangement, the law provides
that names of candidates must also
be rotated on the general election
ballots. This is how it is all done,
and an understanding of the law
makes it all plain
Copy for the national and state
ticket is made up by the secretary
of state and certified to the county
clerk and recorder. The county clerk
and recorder makes up copy for the
county and township ticket. He
turns over the copy to the printer.
The type is set up, a proof taken
and submitted to the county clerk
for his okeh, and that okeh must be
obtained before the printing is start
ed--a rule always followed by this
office.
Now for the law as to the
printing.
The statute provides that the
printer must arrive at key num-
Der by taking the total number of
ballots to be printed for the entire
county and divide that number by
the greatest number of candidates
appearing on the ballot for any one
office. For example. Say the total
number Of ballots was 1000, using
round numbers, and the largest
number of candidates for any one
office, 5, as it was this year for
the office Of president. Five into
1000 gives 800 as key number that
the printer must use in rotating the
names.
The first ballot is made up with
the names arranged alphabetically
this year with President Roosevelts
name heading the list. The printer
runs off 800 ballots with that ar
rangement. He then stops the press,
picks off the name at the top I'M
der each office and places it at the
bottom. Eight hundred more bal
lots are printed, the press stopped
again, and similar change made
in the names. This process is repeat
ed until the five changes are made
and the entire number of ballots
printed. Thus the name of each
candidate will have appeared at the
top of the list on an equal number
of the ballots, but the arrangement
of the names will be the same IT
any one precinct. The law also
provides that all ballots for any one
precinct must be identical, that is
that all names in the ballots fol
any one precinct must have the same
arrangement.
Now as to the sample ballots. The
law does not permit the county te
pay for any sample ballots. They are
paid for by the party organizations
This year thousand sample bal
lots were printed, to be paid for By
the republican and democratic par
ties. Before starting to run off thu
sample ballots, the press was stopped
and the names changed to cor
respond to the arrangement Of thu
first run" or the first ballots print
ed. That put President Roosevelt
name at the head of the list on tn,
sample ballots. 1t has never beer
the practice, and the law does no
require that names shall be rotatet
on the sample ballots. Only few
sample ballots are printed and the.
are given away and scattered indis
criminately over the county. There
fore there is no attempt made t