Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 August 1890 — INDIANA ELECTION LAW. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA ELECTION LAW.

valuable information to VtftERS IN INDIANA. Method of Casting: the Ballot—What the Voter Must Do—What He Must Not Do. The general election law passed March 6, 1889, by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana is now in force, and as the election this fall will be conducted according to its provisions, it is highly important that voter in the State should acquaint himself with its requirements. Its extreme length has prevented that careful examination of its provisions which the importance of the law would have otherwise occasioned, and lin consequence some erroneous ideas have become prevalent. One is that jit does not provide for the registration of voters, and another that the system jof balloting provided by it is complicated. As to the first, the law does >not require the repeated registration jof citizens who reside continuously!!! the same county, but It does require the registration of every person who moves into the county within six months preceding an election, whether he previously resided within the State or not, and also of every person who, having once been a citizen of Indiana, shall have voted in another State or gone there with the intention of voting, or who shall have been absent from the State for six months. This system will effectually eut off the industry of importing voters. While under the new law the preparation and distribution of ballots, the “preservation of order" at the polls and the 1 instruction of ignorant voters" will be performed by sworn officers of the State, and not by irresponsible agents of political parties, the only real new features of the system are the registration of voters and the secrecy of the ballot. THE POLLING PLACE. The chute is a passageway, with a railing, rope or wire on each side, and it must extend fifty feet away from the challenge window. All persons except election officers and ohaUengers are prohibited fro'm coming within fifty feet of the polls, except as they come through this chute to enter the election room. ELECTION SHERIFFS. The election sheriffs are special deputies appointed by the county sheriff to act as officers at the polls. The sheriffs must be at the polls when they open and remain until the count is concluded. They must make arrests on the demand of any member of the board, and also on affidavit made before the inspector by any qualified voter that any person who has voted Is not a legal voter. THE CHALLENGERS. The new law puts a stop to needless and indiscriminate challenging, and but one challenger and one poll book holder, designated by each party or-, ganization, are entitled to stand at the sides of the chute next the challenge window. When a person is challenged he must stand aside or make affidavit that he is a legal voter. If he makes affidavit he is entitled te vote, unless the challenger or some other person makes affidavit that he is not a legal voter, The voter must then bring a qualified voter of the precinct as a witness, who must swear that of his own knowledge the claimant is a legal voter. ELECTION BOOTHS. □ According to law the voter must be screened from view while marking and folding his ballot, and for this purpose election booths are to be used. These are nothing more than little stalls provided with a small shelf or counter and with curtains or doors which the voter closes after him. These booths contain three apartments, or enough for three voters at one time. THE BALLOTS. The County Board of Election Commissioners will prepare and distribute ballots for the election of all officers who are to be voted for in their county other than those to be voted for by the electors of the State, and the names of all candidates of their respective jurisdictions will be printed on one ballot, all nominations of any party being placed under the title and device adopted by such party. The ballot shall be of uniform size and of the same quality and color of paper, and sufficiently thick that the printing cannot be distinguished from the back. The ballots prepared by the State Board of Election Commissioners will be printed on red-tinted paper and put up in blocks of 100 each, while those prepared by the County Board of Election Commissioners are to be printed on white paper. The device adopted, and list of candidates of the Democratic party must oooupy the first column on the left hand side of the ballot, that of the Republican party in the second column, and that of the Prohibition party in the third column. The list of candidates of any other party shall follow in such order as the board of election commissioners may decide. Samples of the ballots plainly marked ‘ -Sample ballot," and printed on different colored paper from that on which the genuine is printed, will be posted in the vicinity of the polling place for the instruction of the voters, but no voter is supposed to see the genuine ballot until it is given him by the polling clerks after he enters the election room. If the printer of the ballots shall give, or knowingly permit any pae, other than the board of election to take any of the ballots, he then, according to the law, «fcj*s committed a felony, and is liablh to imprisonment for a term not less than three nOr more than ten years. WHAT THE VOTBK MUBT DO. It you ore subject to registration, as

before stated, you must register at the county clerk's office at ’least three months before the election. On going te the polls on election day pass through the chute to the challenge window, and if challenged, swear in your vote or stand aside. The necessary forms for affidavits will be supplied at the challenging window. If not challenged, or after swearing in your vote, pass on through the chute to the door, where you will be admitted in turn. v When you enter the election room announce your name to the poll clerks, who will furnish you with a red ballet containing the names of all candidates for S trite offices, a white ballot contain, ing the names of all candidates for local offices, and a stamp for marking them. If you do not understand how to mark your ballots ask the pull clerks, If you cannot read English or are physically unable to mark your ballots the poll clerks will mark it for you, and on request will read over the names marked. Go alone into one of the unoccupied booths and mark your ballot with the stamp, if you wish to vote a straight ticket mark the square in front of the title of your party at the head of the ticket. If you wish to vote a mixed or scratched ticket mark the square in front of the name of each candidate for whom you wish to vote. If by accident you tear, mutilate, deface or spoil your ballot, go at once to the poll clerks, explain how the accident occurred and ask for another ballot. Before leaving the booth fold each of your ballots so that tfce. initials of the poll clerks on the back will show, but so that no part of the face of the ballot can be seen. When y.our ballots are marked and folded cotae out of thb b&ijfh. Give the stamp to the poll cleric frOm whom you received it hand the folded ballots to tiie inspector! who will put them in the ballot-box in your presence. Then leave she room. When you have voted', and before yoti are ready- to v6te, remain fifty feet away from the polls. As the voter doubtless now understands pretty well what to do it is right that he should alike understand WHAT HE MUST NOT DO. Do not attempt to vote if you are not a legal voter. You are not a legal voter if you. have not lived in the State six months, the township sixty days and the preeinct thirty dayß. You are not a legal voter if you have lived in the county less than six months and have not registered. If registered you must have your certificate with you. Do not accept a ballot from any person outside of the election room. Any ballot obtained outside is fraudulent, and it is a penitentiary offense to have such a ballot in your possession, whether you attempt to vote it or not. Do not attempt to hold any conversation in the election room, except with the members of the election board and tire boll clerks. It. is a, penitentiary offense to declare that you can not read English or can nut markyour ballot if in fact you can. Do not mark on the ballot with the stamp at any place except the squares in front of the title of the party, or the hames of the candidates for whom you wish to vote. Do not put any mark of any kind on your ballot except with the stamp. Do not tear, mutilate, deface or mark your ballot in any way, so that it could b 5 identified; and if you should do so accidentally, do not attempt to vote it. Do not show the face of your ballot to any person; you will lose your vote and be subject to fine and imprisonment if you do. Do not attempt to ■ see the ballot of uny other person. Do not attempt to vote any ballot except the one given you by the poll clerks, Do not injure or interfere with any of the railings, .posters, booths or any of the furniture used in conducting the election, Do not advise, counsel or abet any vote buying, bribery or other violation of the election law. Do not personate some one else in registering. Do not misprint ballots. Do not make a false Affidavit, Do not refuse an employe time to vote, as the law says he can have four hours at some time in the day for that purpose. Do not deceive an elector in assisting him to stamp his ticket. Do not forge the clerk’s initials on a ticket Do not counterfeit ballots. Do not open or destroy ballot packs ages. Do not reveal the nature of ticket cast by voter. Do not try to persuade election hoard to violate the law. Do not electioneer within the fifty feet limit Do not show a marked ballot Do not bribtj Do not break open any ballot-box. Do not altar a tally sheet Do not import voters. Do not vote twice. Do pot intimidate voters. Do not bet on the election. Severe penalties are provided for doing or attempting to do any of these acts. Any voter who attempts to leave the election room with a ballot or stamp in his possession shall be im? mediately arrested, and any person having in his possession outside the election room any ballot or stamp, whether genuine or counterfeit, during the election shall he tfulfty of felony, and shall b§ imprisoned in the penitentiary not less than two nor more than five years, and shall be disfranchised for any determinate period not lesr than ten yfears. CANVASS OF THE □DTE. Immediatejy on clpsiqg the polls the board shall count all the mllots remaining unvoted, record the nuinber

of the same on the tally sheets and de, stroy all of such ballots by totally consuming by fire. The board shall then proceed to canvass the votes, beginning with the State ballots, and completing them before proceeding with the local ballots, by laying each ballot on the table in the order in which it is taken from the ballot-box, and the inspector and judge of the election, differing in politics from the inspector, shall view the ballots a9the names of the person voted for are read therefrom. In the canvass of, .the votes any ballot which is hot indorsed with the initials of the poll clerks, and any ballot which shall bear any distinguishing mark or mutilation, shall be void and shall not be counted, and any ballot or part of a ballot from which it is impossible to determine tb© elector’s choice of candidates shall not be counted as a candidate or candidates affected thereby; provided, however, that on protest of; any member of the board such ballot, and all disputed ballots, shall be preserved by the inspector, and at the dose of the count placed with the seals of the ballot packages in paper bags, securely sealed, and so delivered to the clerk of the county, with notification to him of the number of ballots so placed in such bags, and of the condition of *the seals of the ballot packages. The poll clerk shall also record on the tally sheets memoranda of such ballots and the condition of .the seal of the ballot packages, and in any contest of election such ballots and seals may be submitted in evidence. On completing the count and recording the ’same on the tally sheets all the remaining ballots, except those marked, mutilated or otherwise defective, shall be destroyed by the election board by totally consuming by fire before adjournment, and thereupon the election board shall immediately make a memorandum of the total vote cast for each candidate, and deliver a copy thereof to each member of such board. By this it will be observed that the •practice of petitioning courts for a recount of the votes, as was frequently the case under the old law, is abolished under the mandatory clause to burn the ballots. The only ground left for ►oontest is the disputed tickets left uncounted, which will require almost a tie vote to be available. AS TO CANDIDATES ELECTIONEERING.

The new law contains stringent provisions against the übs of money or anything of value to influence voters directly or indirectly, either in noms iriating conventions or in elections. As they are equally stringent as to hiring persons to do electioneering, or to use their influence in any way, the occupation of the professional “worker" is gone. Any violation, direct or indirect, subjects the candidate to fine, imprisonment and challenge as a voter. It also prevents him from holding the office to which he is nominated and elected, disfranchises him and makes him liable to the person hired or bought in the sum of S3OO. It is not safe for a candidate to enter a campaign without carefully examining the nfew laws, and it will he found advantageous to know the provisions, as the penalties prescribed will be sufficient answer to the parasites who will demand money of him. If the penalties of the new law are strictly complied with there is no possibility of anything other than a fair election and an honest count in Indiana.