Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 19, Number 9, DeMotte, Jasper County, 28 January 1949 — Republican Primary Bill Given Senate [ARTICLE]

Republican Primary Bill Given Senate

Bill Provides Voters Must Register Party Affiliation Before Voting The Republican policy primary election bill was introduced in the Senate yesterday. It provides for; 1. Nomination of United States Senator, Governor and lieutenant governor in the primary. 2. Voters must register their party affiliation before voting. 3. To be successful, a primary candidate must receive at least 35 per cent of the total vote cast, within his own party, for the office for which he is running. 4. If no candidate receives the required plurality the nominations will be made in the party state conventions. Under terms of the bill the three highest candidates in the primary would go before the convention in event none received a 35 per cent vote. A section in the bill specifically prohibits candidates in the convention from making a statement to the state convention delegates without the consent of his opponents. This provision, politicians said, was intended to prevent repetition of a situation which delevoped in the GOP 1948 state convention when A. V. Burch and Walter Helmke, candidates for the Governor nomination, withdrew and asked their supporters to back Hobart Creighton, Warsaw, who won the nomination. Refusal of a prospective voter to register his party affiliation would disqualify him from voting in the primary. This refusal, however, would not prevent»his taking part in the general election. The bill was introduced by Senit. ators William C. Bates, New Albany Republican, and Noble Ellis, Orleans Republican. It was assigned to the committee on elections. Meanwhile, a majority of the House Elections Committee reported favorably on the Democratic policy primary bill which would permit “cross voting”— that is, voters could participate in both Republican and Democratic primaries. It would place the United States senator, governor and all state offices in the direct primary. Two Republican members of the House committee submitted a minority report against passage of the bill. The majority favorable report was accepted. Signing the minority report were Representatives Charles T. Miser, Garrett and Otto L. Reddish, Crawfordsville . Mr. and Mrs. Julian Baugh and daughter of Indianapolis visited her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Art Lageveep, over the weekend. Mr. and Mrs. Hank Hielema have moved into the property recently vacated by Mr. and Mrs. John Eakin. Paul Bauman attended the Purina Dealers Convention in St. Louis Monday and Tuesday of this week.