ELECTIONS, LAWS, CUSTOMS, AND THEORIES OF. 



247 



being ascertained, the chief inspector gives 

 him a ticket or ballot containing all the names 

 of the persons to be voted for. These tickets 

 or ballots are bound in books, which are dis- 

 tributed by an officer designated by law to 

 the several chief inspectors on the morning of 

 election-day. These books are somewhat like 

 the check-books used by the banks, in.-ismuch 

 as each ballot is connected with a stub (called 

 in England a "counter-foil"), which remains 

 in the book after the ballot is torn out. The 

 following is the form of the ballot : 



No. 



Form of Back of Ballot Paper. 



Election for 



18 



NOTE. The number on the ballot paper is to correspond 

 with that in the counterfoil. 



Each of these tickets or ballots, when it is 

 handed to the voter, is marked by the chief 

 inspector, either by a stamp specially prepared, 

 or by his initials. Having received his paper, 

 the voter goes into a ballot-room, where a pen- 

 cil is provided, and marks a cross opposite the 

 name of the candidate he votes for. He then 

 folds the ballot so that none can see his mark, 

 returns to the chief inspector, shows him the 

 initial or stamp, and deposits the folded paper 

 in the box. He then leaves by another door. 

 so that he does not come into contact with 

 voters entering to vote. Each polling-place 

 is provided with six or more ballot-rooms. 

 These ballot-rooms are against the wall, at the 

 side of the inspector. They are mere tempo- 

 rary structures, built of boards, about thirty 

 inches wide, and a curtain hangs in the front. 

 A board about a foot wide is attached to the 

 wall throughout the ballot-room, to serve the 

 voter while marking the names. Each pencil 

 is secured by a strong tape. Red lead is pre- 

 ferred, as it is seen better on black printing- 

 ink, and prevents blotting, which would other- 

 wise be inevitable if ink were used to mark the 

 name. A policeman is placed near the ballot- 

 room to show the voters in, and to take care 

 that one voter only enters the ballot-room at 

 a time, and to show the voter the way out. 

 When the voter can not read or write, he in- 

 forms the inspector of the fact and for whom 



he intends voting. The inspector then goes to 

 the ballot-room with him, and marks the names 

 as directed. The voter then folds the paper 

 and puts it into the ballot-box and retires. If 

 the voter inadvertently spoils a ballot- paper, 

 he can return it to the officer, who will, if sat- 

 isfied of the inadvertence, give him another 

 paper. Any one who fraudulently forges, de- 

 faces, or destroys a ballot-paper, is guilty of a 

 misdemeanor, and the punishment for such 

 misdemeanor is fixed at from six months 1 to 

 two years' imprisonment. The same punish- 

 ment is meted out to any person who, without 

 due authority, supplies any one with a ballot- 

 paper, or puts into any ballot-box any other 

 thing than his ballot, or takes any ballot away 

 from the polling-station, or otherwise interferes 

 with the ballot-box. Every officer, clerk, or 

 agent in attendance at the polling-place must 

 take an oath of secrecy. Immediately after 

 the close of the polls, each presiding officer 

 must return the unused and the spoiled ballot- 

 papers, with a statement showing the number 

 of ballot-papers given him, and the number 

 placed in the ballot-box,unused, spoiled, or il- 

 legally tendered. Each candidate may appoint 

 one agent to attend at each polling-place. The 

 State or city or county, according to the elec- 

 tion, pays all the expense of the ballots, sala- 

 ries of inspectors, etc. It will be observed 

 that the ballot given above has a number on 

 the stub and on the ballot-paper ; this same 

 number is placed on the registration-list oppo- 

 site the name of the voter, and this is called 

 the open system of voting. The secret system 

 consists in merely leaving off, from both stub 

 and ballot-paper, such numbering, thus pre- 

 venting the identification of any ballot. "When 

 the polls are closed, the votes are counted as 

 under the existing system. 



The Crawford County Plan. This is a system 

 of conducting primary elections which origi- 

 nated and is still in use in Crawford County, 

 Pa. The plan was suggested and adopted at a 

 county convention of Republicans by C. D. 

 Ashley in 1861. This plan nominates candi- 

 dates directly at the primaries. It compels 

 them to come before the people and have their 

 merits discussed before the nominating ma- 

 chinery is started. Cleveland, Ohio, is the 

 first large city to adopt the plan (188Y). The 

 rules in Crawford County are as follow : 



1. The candidates for the several offices shall have 

 their names announced in one or more of the county 

 papers at least three weeks previous to the primary 

 meetings, stating the office, and subject to the action 

 of said primary meetings. 



2. The voters belonging to the Republican party in 

 each ward, town, or borough, shall meet on the day 

 designated by the Eepublican party committee at the 

 usual place of holding elections, at 2 o'clock P. M., and 

 proceed to elect one person for judge and two persons 

 for clerks, who shall form a board of election to re- 

 ceive votes and determine who are proper persons to 

 vote, and shall hold open the polls until 7 o'clock p. M. 

 After the polls are opened, the candidates announced 

 as aforesaid shall be Balloted for. The name of each 

 person voting shall be written on a list at the time of 

 voting, and no person shall be allowed to vote more 



