blank square following the words "against (the question voted upon being inserted) snall be counted as a vote against such question so submitted. 4. The ballot upon the question so submited shall be deposited in a separate ballot box in each town, village and election district wherein such question is submitted. (1907 c. 664) Printing of ballots; bids for. Section 41. 1. Except as in this chapter otherwise provided, it shall be the duty of each county clerk and city clerk to provide printed ballots for every election for public officers to be voted for in his county or city, and to cause to be printed in the appropriate ballot the name of every candidate whose name has been duly certified to or filed with him; such county or city clerk shall let to the lowest bidder within such county or city the printing of all ballots and shall keep all proposals for such printing in his office; provided, such accepted bidder file with such clerk a bond in a penal sum of at least twice the sum of the accepted bid, signed by two sureties and conditioned for the faithful performance on the part of the accepted bidder of all the conditions duly imposed on him by such clerk at the time of receiving proposals for such printing and provided such county or city clerk shall have power to reject all bids if deemed excessive and to contract for such printing outside of such county or city. Ballots not counted. 2. Ballots not provided by the respective county or city clerks shall not be cast or counted in any election, except as herein provided. Writing in name. 3. But any voter may write upon his ballot the name of any person for whom he desires to vote for any office, in such place or so designated as to indicate the office, and such vote shall be counted the same as if printed upon the ballot and marked by the voter; and any voter may take with him into the polling place any printed or written memorandum or paper to assist him in marking or preparing his ballot, except as hereinafter otherwise provided. Distribution. 4. Ballots shall be printed and in possession of the county clerk and city clerk at least four days before election and in case of a city election the ballots shall be printed and in possession of the city clerk at least two days before election, and subject to inspection by the candidates and their agents. If any mistake be discovered in printing or arrangement it shall be the duty of the clerk to correct the same without delay. Expense of printing. 5. In all general elections, including judicial elections, such ballots shall be printed and distributed solely at the expense of the county; in municipal elections, solely at the expense of the municipality. (1907 c. 308) Number of ballots; sample ballots. Section 42. There shall be printed, in the manner herein before provided, by each county clerk and each city clerk, one hundred ballots for every fifty or fraction of fifty votes cast at any preceding election in each election district in the county or city. Each clerk shall, at the time of ordering official ballots to be printed, cause unofficial sample ballots to be printed upon tinted or colored paper, and in the same form as the official ballots, and delivered to the chairman of any political committee in the county or city, as the case may be, upon the request for such ballots by such committee, to an amount not exceeding one-tenth of the official 5-E. L. ballots for each precinct in the county or city. Such request must be made before the printing of the official ballots, and they shall be paid for in the same manner that official ballots are paid for, without additional charge for composition. A committee may, at its own expense, order a larger supply of sample ballots than is required by this section. All ballots ordered printed by county and city clerks shall be printed at the cost of their respective counties or cities as ordered. Ballots for school officers. Section 43. Where provision has been made in the charter of any city for the election of school officers by a separate ballot, separate official ballots for such officers shall be printed and furnished to the inspectors of election in the several wards in sufficient quanties to supply the electors. Distribution of ballots; receipts; proceedings if ballots lost. Section 44. Each county and city clerk shall send the ballots printed pursuant to his order for the several polling places in each city, village or town in the county as is provided by law to each city and town clerk and the clerk of each village, so as to be received by them at least twelve hours previous to the opening of the polls on the day of election, in separate sealed packages, with marks on the outside of each clearly designating the polling place for which they are intended and the number of ballots of each kind inclosed; and the respective city, village and town clerks shall, on delivery to them of such packages, return receipts therefor, keep a record of the time when, and the manner in which, the several packages are sent, and each county and city clerk shall preserve for the period of one year the receipts therefor; each city, village and town clerk shall send to the board of inspectors of each polling place in his city, village or town before the day of election the ballots so prepared, sealed and marked for each voting place, and a receipt of such delivery shall be returned to them from the presiding or senior election officer present, which receipt shall be kept in the clerk's office. In case the ballots to be furnished to any city, village, town or voting place therein shall fail for any reason to be duly delivered, or in case after delivery they shall be destroyed, lost or stolen, it shall be the duty of the clerk of such city, village or town to cause other ballots to be prepared, in printing or writing, substantially in the form of the ballots so wanting; and upon receipt of such other ballots from him, accompanied by a statement under oath that the same have been so prepared and furnished by him to replace the original ballots which have not been received, or have been so destroyed, lost or stolen, the election officers shall cause the ballots so substituted to be used in lieu of those so wanting. If from any cause the ballots are not ready for distribution at any polling place as heretofore provided, or if the supply shall be exhausted before the polls are closed, fac-simile unofficial ballots may be used, but the voter using it must, before voting, present it unmarked to the ballot clerks, have their signatures or initials indorsed thereon, and then he shall prepare it for voting. Correction of errors in ballots. Section 60. Whenever it shall appear by affidavit that an error or omission has occurred in the publication of the names, description of candidates, or in the printing of the ballots, the circuit court of the proper county, or the presiding judge thereof, may, upon application by an elector, by order, summarily require of the county or city clerk to correct such error, or to show cause why it should not be corrected, and by order cause such correction to be forthwith made after such hearing. Polling Booths. Section Polling booths: by whom and how made; expense of. 45. All officers upon whom is imposed by law the duty of designat ing polling places shall, under the penalties elsewhere prescribed, provide and maintain in each polling place designated by them a sufficient number of places or compartments, at least twenty-four inches wide and deep, with shelves for writing, which shall be furnished with such supplies and conveniences as shall enable voters to conveniently prepare their ballots, and each compartment shall be furnished with a door, screen or curtain of cloth so hung as to completely conceal the voter and any one who may lawfully assist him from observation while marking and preparing his ballot, and said room shall have a guard rail so constructed that only persons within said rail can approach within five feet of the ballot-boxes or such places or compartments.2 The number of such places, shelves or compartments shall not be less than one for every fifty electors who voted at the last preceding general election in the district. No person except the officers of election, other than voters engaged in receiving, preparing or depositing ballots, shall be permitted to be within said rail. The expense of providing and maintaining such places, shelves, compartments, doors, screens or curtains and guard rails shall be provided for in the same manner as other election expenses. (1901 c. 61) Polling places in fourth class cities. Section 930a. The common council of every city of the fourth class may provide at the city hall of such city, separate rooms with separate outside entrances thereto, upon which shall be conspicuously marked the respective numbers of the wards for which the same are intended to be used and designate the same as polling places respectively for the respective wards of such city, and all elections in and for each of the wards of such city for which polling places are so designated in the city hall shall be held at the places so designated. (1991 c. 61) When to be designated. Section 930b. Polling places in a city hall as provided in the preceding section, may be designated by the common council no later than ten days before any election at which such rooms are to be used as such polling places. (1901 c. 61) Flag over voting place. Section 45a. 1. That the common councils of the cities, trustees of the villages, and the township boards of supervisors may place and display the national flag on suitable staff over every voting place on general election and registration days for township, village, city, county, state and national elections and maintain them during every hour of such days of voting and registration.. Expense of flag, how paid. 2. That such common councils, board of trustees, and township board of supervisors may provide the expense of such flags, and the erection, maintaining and care of the same, suca expense to be included in and be a part of the general election expenses. (1901 c. 254) See diagram of voting booth, page 68, and general arrangement of interior, page 69. See footnote "general arrangement" page 69. 1 Election Officers. Election officers; appointment and qualifications. Section 47. There shall be three inspectors, two clerks of election and two ballot clerks at each poll at every election held under the provisions of this title, who shall be qualified electors at such poll and election. Any inspector may administer any oath required by law in the registration of voters or the conducting of an election. They shall be appointed or chosen in the manner following: Nomination. Section 11-12. 2. (a) The mayor of every city shall nominate' to the common council thereof, and the president of every village shall nominate to the village board of trustees thereof at their first regular meeting in February of each year in which a general election is to be held, and if no such meeting is held, then at a special meeting, which he shall call for such purpose on the last Tuesday of said month, three persons for inspectors of election, two for clerks of election and two for ballot clerks in each election district therein. Qualification. (b) Each of the persons so nominated shall be an elector in the district for which appointed; be able to read and write the English language understandingly, and shall not be a candidate Form of nomination of inspectors of election, etc., page 196. to be voted for at such election, and not more than two of such in- GENERAL ARRANGEMENT.--The room is divided by a guard rail into two portions, the public being kept outside the rail. The guard rail is required by law to be not less than five feet from both the ballot box and voting shelves. Inside the rail are tables, one to accommodate the ballots to be given out, and a check list upon which the names of those receiving ballots are checked by ballot clerks from duplicate registry lists (where registration is required); another for clerks of election to make poll lists where the names of those depositing ballots are entered, and another for the inspectors to check from registry list and for the ballot box. The entrance and the exit through the rail are marked. The shelf to which one goes to mark the ballot is shown as placed against the wall. VOTING SHELVES. The booths or shelves for marking ballots may be constructed as follows: Either nailed or screwed together immovably, or the partitions and shelves at the bottom arranged to fold, so that the shelf may be folded into compact shape, and easily put away for future use. This last device is suggested in order to lessen the storage space required for keeping shelves from one election to another. The dimensions of shelves should be: depth, one foot six inches; width, from center to center of partitions, two feet; the partition should project six inches from shelf so as to screen voter. There should be one shelf for every fitty electors who voted in the district at the preceding election. SUPPORTS.-Common wooden horses are the best means for supporting shelves. and may be easily stored away from one election to another. Cleats are nailed upon the bottom of the shelf to prevent the horses being pushed to one side or the other. THE SCREEN or curtain of cloth may be hung along in front of the booths or RAIL. The rail requires solidity and strength to withstand considerable pres- GATES. There should be exit-say like a turn stile. |