The New Michigan Election Law

Ixstructions : First mark or stamp a cross [x] in the square under the name of your party at the head of j'our hallo If you desire to vote a straight ticket nothing further need be done. If you desire to vote for candidates on difieren tickets, erase the name of the candidate of your own ticket you do not want to vote for, and make a cross in the square be fore the name of the candidate you desire to vote for, or write his name in the spaee under the name erased. A ticke marked with a cross under the party name will be deerne:! a vote for each of the candidates named in such party colum whose name is not erased. Before leaving booth fold ballot so that the initials may be seen on outsido. The foregoing is the form, somcwhait restricted it is truo by the omisons for the purpose of shortening it, of the official ballot which citizens of Washtenaw eounty and the state of Michigan generalij' wffl Ik? called upon to cast in future elections - and this whether these elections be state, conrgessional or municipal. It is the lateet modifieation of what is known as tlie Australian ballot, and the law providing it together witta the various other changes in the election law, ■wee passod by the Michigan legislature only a few days before its adjournment and was promptly gigned by Governor Winans. MAKING N0MINATI0N8. As only official ballot can be voted, a deficription of the method of recording nomiiiations so as to get them printed on this official ballot will be ol interest as hen1 giren. The new law provides that hereaíter there eball 1h' ín every county a board of county election conunissioners, made up of the judffe of probate, the eounty clerk and the oounty tre&snrer. For towndhips, the townsbip boards act is election cominissiouers for local elections, and i:i cltiee tlic board is oompoeed i "such persons as shall be elected therefor by the common councils of the various cittea and villagee in the state." The dnty of these boards is to prepare and dtetribute the tallots and stampa for the election of all oölcers that are voted in and county elections. Tliey must print on ome ticket the oamee of all candidatos nominated by any convention and received not less tlian 20 days before election. Wlhen these namea are sent in, the convention must daopt a Tignetto to be printed at the top of the column of the list of names; to Imítate such vignette is made nnlawful. Tlie list of candid:at's of eacli party is placed in separate columns. A proof ballot must be filed with the secretary oi state 20 days, and with ihe eounty clerk 10 days, before each election, Should a candidate die or resign letween the time of printing the bailóte and election day. the county clerk must próvido the election boards of the precincta affected, witli pastera containing the names of the new candida te or candida tes: and these the inspectors of elections are anthorizeid to put on the official balIota. Should there be a. constitutlonal ameta,ttment to be voted lor, it is made the dwty of the secretary ot state to ïiotiiy cach board of the county election commiseioners 30 days before the day uf election. MUNICIPAL ELBCTI0N8 TOO. By a separate act, passed a day later, the provislona of this general election law are made applicable to all local or municipal elections. But at elections where both state and municipal or local officers are chosen there will le two blank bailóte for the voter to mark- the names of the munieipa lcandidalcs being on a separate one, arragned, however, after the official form as given at the bead of this article. For inunicipal elections the nianner of the caiwlMates must bc given by the committees of the various organizations to the board of the election commiesioaerg of such municipality not less tiian aeren days belore each tion, and the proof copy of tlie ballot ■ must le open to the inspection , of eacli committee at the office of the I township elerk, and city or vlllage f clerk or recorder, not leas than two i secular days before such electton. ï AT THE POLLING BOOTIIS. When an elector comes to the polls, one of the inspectora of election will hand him one ballot, after having put hls (the inspector') initials on the upper left hand corner. The. eleebor Wlü then step into one of the booths provkled, wliieh screens him irom the public, and there proceed to mark his ballot. He "may mark or stamp a cross in the space below the head of the party name printed at the head of the ballot. If niarked thus surh ballot so marked shall be countcd for all the nominees of such party whose na mes appear on the ballot in that column, unless the voter shall have eriieed some name in the column, or marked against tho name of a candidato ííi some other column for the sa me offïco, or writrten In a name ander the name of any eandidate, in wliich eaae the oame of suc-H eaadidate shall not be counted as voted for by sueh ballot, but if the name of the candidato sliall have been erased, nuch vote shall be counte;l for the candidato whose name in another column shall be maikc.il or wihoee name shall be written in under the na.me erased." He may imlicate his preference in regard to the constitutional amendment by making a cross mark opposite tille "yes" or "no." Then, before leaving the booth he Jirast fold up his ballot so only the initial of the Inspector can be seen. After vt-hich the ballot must be iianded to the proper inspector, wlhpo -n-ill dleposit it In the ballot box. Before the ballot is deposited in the box, the poll clerk must enter t'he elector's name on the poll book, and proierly number it. MIST NUT SHOW OU CARIÍY OFK BA1.I.OTS. If any eloetor shows his ballot, or imy part. thereof, to any person other tlian one lawfully assisting him in the preparatloo tiiereof, after thhe same Sball havo leen marked so as to disclose any of the candida-tes voted for, such ballot will not be received or depoeited In the ballot box. His name will .be entered on the poll lists ivith a minute of such occurrence, and such elector avíII not be allowed to vote a1 tliat election. No elector to whom a b.-Ulot has leen dellvened will be permltted to1 leave the room ■without voting the ballot or returning it (rain the Inspector brom whom he recelved it. Any elector wJdo wül attempi to leave the room witih a ballot or stamp In his powesBlon will bc arrested on demaad of any iiiciulx-r of t lic board of inspectiors, if he -ivfuse t; déllver the aame upon reqoest. If an elector spoils his official lallot he can get another by returning the spoiled one. If he mark more than one candidate for any office, then all marlcs for these particular eandiklates are nuil and void. VOTEIiS WHO CA-VNOT KEAT) BNGLI8H. When any Englisli Bpeatdng TOter swears that he cannot read, or that 1h miino o physical disabilily lic cannoi mark hls ballot, or when such dlaabllity is made manifest to inspcctors, "his ballot shall le markod for him in the .prcscnce of at least, two ai the inspectors by an inspector designated by Wie board for that pui-pose, who is not n eandtdate on said ticket. Wlien any naturalized elector sliall make oatli that lio cannot read English, that beoauae of a physieal disabiliiy he cannot marfc lus ballot, lie hall have the right to cali to liis aid, a iiualified elector, ■vlio my read the ballot to and mark the ballot of micli naturallzed elector in the preeenee of nvo inspectora of eleetion." Cballengers from eaeh political party are alloved inside the polling places, nnd they have the risrht oud privilege of renwiining during canvass. XO ELECTIOXEKHIXii ,T POOLS. It in made unlawful for the board,, or any person in the polling room or nny compartment therewith connected, to persuade or to endeavor to persuade rmy person to vote for or against any particular candidate or party ticket. RESTRICTION ON CANDIDATOS. No oandidate can be an inspector of eleetlone or gvite keeper, andi the last section but one of the l.uv says: "It nliall not be lrowful for any candidato for any electlve office, witih tnteni to proanote his election, or for any o-i her peraon with latent to promote the election of any such cainliil.itc. either "1. To provide or furnish entertainment fit liis expense to any meeting of electo, previous to, or during the electtoD ait wWoh he Kliall lx' a candidaw; or "2. To pay for, procure or engage to pay for any sucli entertainment; or, "3. To furntóh any money or other propertyto any person for tfhe purpose of belng expeadied In procuring the atbeodanoe of voters at the polls; or, "4. To engage to pay any memey, or deliver my property, or otlierwis-econipenaate any person for procmring the atfendance oí voters at the polls; or, "To contribute money for any other purpose lnbended to promote au tion of any particular person or ticket, except for defraylng tbe expeneee ol printing, and the circtilation of votes. hand bilis and other papera previous to any such eloction, or of coiiveyhmi-irk. poor or im'irm electora to the polls." COUNTISG THE BALLOT8. Immediately on olosing polls tlie board must proceed to canvagg the votes, firat selecting and counting the Btnaight tictoets, and giving the number to eaclb candMate voted for on the Btnalig'hi ticteet. In the canvass of the rotea, any ballot whicb is not indorsed v.it.li the ïiiii.ils of the inspector as provlded in iais act, and any ballot bi n b iare an undiattngulshing mark, or mutlibatlon, ivill be void, and wil! nat Ik; countod, or ony ballot, or part of a ballot, from -vhicli it is impossible bo determine the elector's choice of eandldates, will be void as to the candidato or candidatos thoreby affectod. However, all such bailóte will be preserved, 'and kept separate from the otlicrs by being tiod or lield in one package by a rubber band or othersvise. After the ballots are connted, they niusf , together with one tally sheet, be -orui-oly w.iled in such a marnier that it ennno't be openod without breaking tho eeaX After the count of the tickets or b.-illots has been completad, the resolt must be immediately publicly declarid, and the nummer of votes reoeived by each candidato or person on the ticket must be publlcly declared by one ol the inspoctors. OTIIER PBOVI8IONS. Other provlsiona of the law make U lncvnvbent of the electlon commiai-icmers tw furnish uniform Instructlons to electors as to niethods of marking -ballets, llmltiAg pollins preeinets to not more than 500 voters; forbids any elector except the one ahout to vote being inalde tlic ralling; meke giate-Jíeepera pólice offlcers; prohlbit jíolIiiiK places in saloons and ihe introduction in any way oí spirit nous liquors into buildings used as polling places; iive the inspectora power to fix the time (not nore than five minfix the time (not nore thaji five minutes nor less than one) which a voter in;iy emain in a booth; direct thc preservation oí all imusse,d or upoilcd official ballot.s. and also íorbid, ander penaltics. Che glvlng out by printers, or any atber persons than the inspectora as províded by law, ol the official ballots.