Case Name: William H. Talcott vs. Halsey B. Philbrick
Court: Connecticut Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Connecticut
Decision Date: 1890-10-08
Citations: 59 Conn. 472
Docket Number: 
Parties: William H. Talcott vs. Halsey B. Philbrick.
Judges: 
Reporter: Connecticut Reports
Volume: 59
Pages: 472–489

Head Matter:
William H. Talcott vs. Halsey B. Philbrick.
Hartford Dist.,
Oct. T., 1890.
Andrews, C. J., Carpenter, Loomis, Seymour and Torrance, Js.
The act of 1889 concerning elections, (Session Laws of 1889, ch. 241,) provides in the first section that all ballots shall be printed and of uniform size, color and quality, to be determined by the secretary of the state, and “ shall contain, in addition to the official endorsement, only the names of the candidates, the office voted for, and the name of the political party issuing the same,” with directions as to the manner in which they shall be printed; and the eleventh section provides that “all ballots cast in violation of the foregoing provisions, or which do not conform to the foregoing requirements, shall be void and not counted.” At an election in the city of Hartford there were regular ballots provided which were prepared and issued by the “ Republican,” “Democratic” and “Prohibition” parties respectively, these parties being organized, and known by those names, and placing those names respectively upon the ballots issued by them. In addition to these ballots a ballot was issued by certain persons which had at its head the word “ Citizens,” but which was in all other respects the same as the Republican ballots. There were eighty-six of these ballots cast, but there was no party in the city known as the Citizens’ party. Held that the ballots were void and not to be counted.
And it seems that it did not affect the case that the ballots were not prepared in that form fraudulently and with the intention of deceiving voters.
[Argued at a meeting of the Judges on July 10th before the session of the court,
and decided October 8th, 1890.]
Petition to Thayer, J., under Gen. Statutes, § 58, which authorizes a judge of the Superior Court, on petition, to hear and. decide upon contested claims to city and town offices. The question in the case was whether certain ballots cast for the defendant for the office of alderman at a city election in the city of Hartford, were legal, under the act of 1889, known as the Secret Ballot Act. (Session Laws of 1889, chap. 247. )
The petition alleged “ that at the annual meeting of the city of Hartford for the election of city officers, held in said city on the 7th day of April, 1890, the petitioner was a candidate for alderman of said city, in the seventh ward of said city, and was duly elected at said election an alderman of said city in said ward, and at said election in said ward, as he verily believes, he received a plurality of the votes legally cast in said ward for said office; but that he was not declared elected to said office, but that Halsey B. Philbriek of said city was declared elected to said office by a plurality of one vote. The facts upon which the claim of your petitioner is founded are as follows: * * *
“4. Your petitioner is informed and believes, and therefore avers, that at said election in said ward there were improperly and illegally counted for said Philbriek ten or more votes which were illegal and void ballots, and which should have been rejected, because said ballots had printed upon their face, as indicating the political party issuing the same, the word ‘ Citizens,’ whereas, in fact, they should have had upon their face, as indicating the political party issuing the same, the word ‘Republican,’ because there was no such party as the Citizens’ party in said election, and no candidates were nominated for any office voted for at said election by a party known as the Citizens’ party, and no ballots were issued to be used in said election by any party known as the Citizens’ party, and because said ballots bore upon their face the names, and all the names, of the persons regularly nominated by the party known as the Republican party, for the various offices voted for at said election, and the word 1 Citizens ’ was printed on said ballots, and they were thus issued fraudulently, and with the intention of deceiving, misleading, and defrauding the voters at said election.”
To this paragraph of the petition the defendant answered as follows:—
“The defendant admits that at said election ten or more ballots were cast for him, having on their face the word ‘ Citizens,’ each of which ballots bore upon its face all the names of the persons nominated by the Republican party for the various offices voted at said election; and all the other allegations of said paragraph are denied. The persons so nominated were some of them Republicans and some Democrats, and such nominations were made with the expectation that citizens would vote for them without regard to their individual party affiliations. The word ‘ Citizens ’ was so printed at the top of said ticket, because persons not members of the Republican party would naturally prefer not to cast a ballot with the name of that party prominent thereon, while they desired to vote for the persons whose names were so placed on the ticket; but not with any intention or desire to defraud or deceive any voters, nor would such placing the word ‘ Citizens ’ tend to deceive any voter.”
This answer was denied by the petitioner. The judge made the following finding:—
At the annual meeting of the city^ of Hartford, held on the 7th day of April, 1890, for the election of city officers, the petitioner and the respondent were candidates for the office of alderman of said city, in the seventh ward thereof, duly nominated by the Democratic and Republican parties respectively, and were each voted for for that office. The respondent was declared elected to the office by a plurality of one vote over the petitioner. Ten ballots were cast and counted for the respondent for said office at said election, which, in addition to the official indorsement, contained and bore upon their face the names and all the names of the persons regularly nominated by the Republican party in their caucus for the various offices to be voted for in said ward at said election, with the name of the office to be voted for. Said ballots also contained and bore upon their face the word “Citizens.” These ballots were prepared and issued by the Republican party. No party known as the Citizens’ party nominated any candidates for any office prior to said election to be voted for thereat, and no party known as the Citizens’ party issued any ballots to be used and voted at said election. The Republican party, the Democratic party, and the Prohibition party, each made regular nominations, prior to said election, of candidates for the various offices to be voted for. Each of said parties issued ballots to be used at said election, headed by the names of the parties respectively. Six general officers, to be voted for by voters throughout the city, in addition to ward officers, to be voted for only in their respective wards, were to be chosen at said election, namely, mayor, clerk, treasurer, collector, auditor and marshal, the general officers and ward officers being voted for in the different wards upon one ballot. The Republican party at their caucus prior to said election nominated republicans as their candidates for mayor, treasurer and marshal, and democrats as their candidates for clerk, collector and auditor. The Democratic party at their caucus nominated as their candidates for clerk, collector, treasurer and auditor the same persons who were nominated for those offices by the Republican party—three Democrats and one Republican— and nominated Democrats as their candidates for mayor and marshal. After these nominations were made, the tickets before mentioned bearing the word “ Citizens” were prepared and issued as above set forth. It has been the custom for a great many years to prepare a ticket called a “Citizens’ ticket” composed of candidates of both parties, so as to have a ticket for people who did not want to vote for the entire ticket of either party, and to give them a ticket that was not a party ticket. In ward five, which is strongly Democratic, the Republican party made no nomination forward officers, and a ticket headed “ Citizens ” issued by the Republican party as aforesaid at said election in that ward contained the names of all the persons nominated on the general ticket by the Republican party, and the names of all the persons nominated by the Democratic party for ward officers in that ward. Two hundred of these ballots were cast in said ward. No ticket containing the word “Republican ” was printed or issued in said ward five. In all the other wards of the city, except wards one, two and three, ballots containing the word “ Citizens ” at their head, and bearing all the names of the Republican p.arty for general and ward officers, were cast. The total number of such ballots cast was eighty-six.
The word' “ Citizens ” was not printed upon the ballots cast for the respondent as aforesaid fraudulently and with the intention of deceiving, misleading and defrauding voters at said election. The chairman of the seventh ward Republican committee gave some of the ballots to the Republican keeper of the ticket-booths in the seventh ward, with instructions, if any one asked for these tickets, to give them to him, and they were placed in the ticket-booths in said ward in the same manner as tickets with other names thereon were given to voters, when called for, openly, and in the same manner as all the other tickets, and were also placed in the booths provided for the preparation of ballots for the voter in the same manner as all other tickets.
There were cast for the petitioner at said election six hundred and ten ballots for said office of alderman. There were cast for the respondent at said election for the same office, counting said ten ballots containing the word “ Citizens,” as aforesaid, six hundred and eleven ballots. The respondent claimed, and asked the judge to rule, that said ten ballots containing the word “Citizens” were legal ballots and lawfully counted for him. The petitioner claimed that said ballots were void, and ought not to be counted for the respondent. The judge did not rule as requested by the respondent, but ruled, held and decided that said ballots were void and could not be counted for the respondent, and that the petitioner, and not the respondent, was elected alderman in ward seven at said election.
The defendant appealed to this court.
C. E. Perkins and A. Perkins, for the appellant,
cited—• Owens v. State ex rel. Jennett, 64 Texas, 500 ; Williams v. State ex rel. Vasmer, 69 id., 368 ; Commonwealth v. Woelper, 3 Serg. & R., 29 ; State ex rel. Julian v. Adams, 65 Ind., 393 ; Quinn v. Markoe, 37 Minn., 439 ; Shields v. McGregor, 91 Misso., 534 ; Gumm v. Hubbard, 97 id., 311 ; Steele v. Calhoun, 61 Miss., 556 ; Oglesby v. Sigman, 58 id., 502 ; State ex rel. Mahoney v. McKinnon, 8 Or., 487 ; Kirk v. Rhoads, 46 Cal., 398 ; Wyman v. Lemon, 51 id., 273 ; Coffey v. Edmonds, 58 id., 521 ; Kellogg v. Hickman, 12 Col., 256.
E. H. Hyde, Jr., for the appellee,
cited—Stanley v. Manly, 35 Ind., 275 ; Druliner v. The State, 29 id., 308 ; State ex rel. Julian v. Adams, 65 id., 393 ; Commonwealth v. Woelper, 3 Serg. & R., 29 ; Ledbetter v. Hall, 62 Misso., 422 ; Shields v. McGregor, 91 id., 534 ; Gumm v. Hubbard, 97 id., 311 ; State ex rel. Mahoney v. McKinnon, 8 Or., 487 ; Oglesby v. Sigman, 58 Miss., 502 ; Perkins v. Carraway, 59 id., 222 ; Steele v. Calhoun, 61 id., 556 ; Reynolds v. Snow, 67 Cal., 497 ; Williams v. The State ex rel. Vasmer, 69 Texas, 368.
The parts of the act material to the present case are as follows:
Sec. 1. All ballots used at elections held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, and at all regular town and city elections, shall be printed on plain white paper, furnished by the secretary of the state as here inafter provided. Such ballots shall be of uniform size, color, quality, and thickness, for each ballot of the same class, to be determined by the secretary. In addition to the official endorsement, the ballots shall contain only the names of the candidates, the office voted for, and the name of the political party issuing the same. The name of the party issuing the ballot, the title of the office voted for, and the names of the candidates, shall be printed straight across the face of the ballots in black ink, and in type of uniform size, to be prescribed by the secretary of the state at least sixty days before any election held under the provisions of this act.
Sec. 9. '* * * If any envelope or ballot shall contain any mark or device so that the same may be identified in such manner as to indicate who might have cast the same, it shall not be counted, but shall be kept by the moderator and returned to the town clerk in a separate package from the ballots which are counted at such election.
Sec. 12. All ballots cast in violation of the foregoing provisions, or which do not conform to the foregoing requirements, shall be void and not counted; provided, however, that any voter may alter or change his ballot by erasing any name therefrom, or by inserting in place of any name thereon, in writing or by a paster, the name of any person for any office to be voted for thereon other than the person thereon named for such office.

Opinion:
Carpenter, J.
The object of the statute of 1889 is obvious ;—it is to secure an honest vote, correctly expressing public sentiment, by preventing fraud, corruption and intimidation. Fraud, by placing it in the power of every voter to obtain an official ballot from the representatives of the leading parties, who are duly sworn to a faithful performance of their duties; and in like manner an official envelope, in which to enclose his ballot before voting. This would seem to effectually preclude any opportunity for fraud or imposition. Corruption, by making it impossible for any one who would bribe or otherwise corrupt a voter to know that the required vote was actually deposited. Intimidation, by giving to each voter an opportunity to select and prepare his ballot, and to deposit it free from observation, and in such a manner that no one but himself can possibly know how he votes unless he chooses to disclose it. To this end certain requisites in respect to ballots and envelopes are prescribed. We are relieved of any obligation to inquire as to the necessity or reason of this or that requirement; and we are not at liberty to dispense with anything that is required, whatever the reason for it may be, or even if without any apparent reason at all. The legislature has spoken, and obedience is our first and only duty. It is at liberty to throw around the ballot box such safeguards and regulations as it may deem proper, and it is the duty of the citizen to conform thereto. Some inconvenience is not too great a price to pay for an honest pure ballot.
What has the legislature required? The requirements material to this case relate to the ballot. The first section of Chap. 247, Acts of 1889, p. 155, is as follows:—
"All ballots used at elections held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, and at all regular town and city elections, shall be printed on plain white paper, furnished by the secretary of the state as hereinafter provided. Such ballots shall be of uniform size, color, quality and thickness, for each ballot of the same class, to be determined by the secretary. In addition to the official endorsement, the ballots shall contain only the names of the candidates, the office voted for, and the name of the political party issuing the same. The name of the party issuing the ballot, the title of the office voted for, and the names of the candidates, shall be printed straight across the face of the ballots, in black ink, and in type of uniform size, to be prescribed by the secretary of the state at least sixty days before any election held under the provisions of this act. Whenever paper shall be furnished to any party as herein provided, the secretary shall deliver with such paper printed instruc tions prescribing the size of type to be used. The secretary shall cause blanks to be prepared of the dimensions prescribed by him, and shall cause to be printed on the back of each blank ballot the words ' Official Ballot.' "
Section 12 of the same act is as follows:—" All ballots cast in violation of the foregoing provisions, or which do not conform to the foregoing requirements, shall be void and not counted; provided, however, that any voter may alter or change his ballot by erasing any name therefrom, or by inserting in place of any name thereon in writing or by a paster the name of any person for any office to be voted for thereon other than the person thereon named for such office."
The question relates not to the paper, but to the printing or writing thereon. Four things only are allowable:—the official endorsement, the names of the candidates, the office voted for, and the name of the political party issuing the ballot.
The finding is explicit,—that the ballots in question were issued by the Republican party, that they did not contain the name of that party, and that they did contain the word, " Citizens," (thus purporting to have been issued by citizens, or an organization of citizens, as distinguished from the other parties,) and that there was no such party or organization in the field at that election.
Does such a ballot conform to the statute ? The ballot does not speak the truth. It purports to have been issued by a citizens' party, but it was in fact issued by the Republican party. It implies that there was a citizens' party, but there was not. So that if the argument that the name of the party issuing the ballot may be omitted altogether is sound, it will hardly justify a misrepresentation.
But is the argument sound? The clause, "the ballots shall contain only the names of the candidates, the office voted for, and the name of the political party issuing the same," if construed by itself, might perhaps be regarded as permissive and not mandatory. What is the ballot? It consists not merely of the paper of the prescribed size and quality, but also of the required printing thereon. No part may be omitted. If the name of the party may be omitted, so may the name of the candidate or office. If either of the last two is left out its validity as a ballot is destroyed. That demonstrates the absurdity of the argument when applied to those requisites. And yet the grammatical formation of the sentence is such that the argument applies as well to them as to the name of the party.
But this clause cannot be construed by itself; it must be taken in connection with other parts of the act. The next sentence in the same section is mandatory in terms:- "The name of the party issuing the ballot, the title of the office voted for, and the names of the candidates shall be printed straight across the face of the ballots, in black ink, and in type of uniform size, etc." It will hardly do to say that the statute means that these three things shall be so printed if printed at all. That is an interpolation inconsistent with the spirit and object of the act.
The proviso in the twelfth section is significant. " Any voter may alter or change his ballot by erasing any name therefrom, or by inserting in place of any name thereon in writing or by a paster the name of any person for any office, etc." No other erasure or writing is allowed; all else must be printed. If any other writing is allowed other provisions of the statute are rendered nugatory and meaningless. Expressing in terms what may be done prohibits the doing of anything else.
Our conclusion is that these ballots were not legal, and that there is no error in the judgment.
In this opinion Loomis and Seymour, Js., concurred.