Evening star., 1951-07-17
Fairfax Moves
To Open Books
OF Voters Lists
Will Allow Copying
After Ruling by
Attorney General

Attorney General
The Fairfax County Electoral
Board today acted to make regis
tration books available for copy
ing Of names after receiving a
ruling from the Virginia Attorney
General, j. Lindsay Almond. jr.,
that it should be done.
At a hastily called special
Dneeting, the three-member elec-
toral board decided to send out
copies Of the Attorney Generals
ruling to the general registrar
and all precinct registrars.
But in sending out copies of
the ruling with the implication
that books should be made avail
able for copying voters names.
the electoral board avoided any
direct instructions to open books
because the question has been
raised whether the board has
jurisdiction over the registrars.
Edward K. Uhler, electoral
board chairman, said he received
a copy of the Attorney Generals
ruling in this mornings mail. tt
was the same ruling received Fri
day by Edwin Lynch, candidate
for reelection to the House of
Delegates. at the Democratic pri-l
mary. Mr.. Lynch had requested
the ruling after he said he was
refused permission to copy names
from the registration books.
Issued Through Secretary.
The Attorney Generals ruling
came to the electoral board today
through Levin Mock Davis, Sec
retary Of the State Board of Elec-
tions. Mr.. Uhler said he had
asked Mr.. Davis to get the ruling
after the controversy arose.
The Fairfax Electoral Board
had held that the required closing
Of registration 80 days before a
primary also means closing Of the
books for public use.
An accompanying letter by Mr..
Almond with his ruling comedies
that the registrar would be with
in his legal rights to refuse to sur
render the books for inspections
by other persons" during five days
after the closing registration date
because during this period the
registrar is required to prepare a
list of the registrations made on
the final day.
MIR. Lynch pointed out that this
Interpretation by the Attorney
General would have permitted reg
istration books to be closed be-
tween July Z and Is, and it was
during that period that MIR. Lynch
first complained of being refused
i. access to the books. Mr.. Uhler
conceded, however, that the Fair
fax Electoral Boards interpreta-
ton of closing the books meant |
during the entire S0-day period |
preceding the primary.
Must Act in Good Faith.
Mr.. Almond in his letter also
stated that in refusing access to
books during the f1ve-day period
that lists are being prepared. ''the
registrar should be acting in good
faith and should not use this
statutory duty as method of
preventing the public from ex-I
amining the registration books
during the five-day period at such
times as would not interfere with
his duties as registrar"
As for times other than the
f1ve-day period when lists must
be prepared by the registrars, Mr..
Almonds opinion clearly states
registration books should be avail
able for inspection by the public
and copying of names.
Mr.. Lynch said he was refused
access to the books again yester-
day and as a result had filed a !
formal complaint with the State
Board of Elections against the
county's general registrar, Mrs.
Gladys Isdell and the county
electoral board.
Mr.. Lynch, meanwhile, has
raised the issue that it is not the
Fairfax Electoral Boards duty toI
interpret law for the registrars.
This function, he said, belongs to
the Commemorative Attorney.
It was because Of this that the
Fairfax Electoral Board today de-
cided to send out copies Of the
Attorney Generals ruling without
any specific orders from the board
to the registrars.
Similar Policy in Alexandria.
In Alexandria the city's Elec-
toral Board has a similar-if not
sterner-policy than Fairfax.
James N. Calasanto. Alexandria
Electoral Board chairman, said it,
always has been the policy in that
city to forbid copying of registra-
ton books.
Mr.. Colasanto said the city's
Democratic Committee about two
months ago had requested per-
mission to copy the registration
books but was turned down.
'The law says the books shall be
available for inspection" /" said MIR.
Colasanto. 1--WE don't take that
to mean that we must make them
available for copying"
Bankhead Davies, secretary Of
the Arlington Electoral Board, said
that board keeps an up-to-date
duplicate of registration books in
the Office Of the Circuit Court
Clerk. Any requests to the Elec-
toral Board for copying registra-
ton books are referred to the
court clerks Office, he said, where
the books are available.
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