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this has nothing to do with economics and
our concept today of a good American citi-
zen does not even require him to own a
home in the town where he lives and ac-
tually resides. We intend to exclude eco-
nomics as a consideration for voter quali-
fications. If we give such a right — it is
not a right, but if it is extended in the
guise of a right — it is discriminating
against people who are less fortunate eco-
nomically, and discriminating against people
who are residents in a community because
non-residents for economic considerations
are being given the right to vote in their
elections.
DELEGATE J. CLARK (presiding) :
Delegate Clagett.
DELEGATE CLAGETT: Am I correct
that the majority view is that residents
shall be entitled to vote and in addition
thereto the municipality may provide that
persons owning property who are non-resi-
dents shall be given the vote? That is in
addition to the residents.
DELEGATE WHITE: That was the ma-
jority view.
DELEGATE J. CLARK (presiding) :
Delegate Clagett.
DELEGATE CLAGETT: Now then if
the determination of the qualification of
residency is that a person live more than
six months in that particular municipality,
would there not be a greater inequity or
discrimination to say that a man who lives
one day less than six months in that mu-
nicipality shall not be entitled to vote as
compared to the man who lives in that
municipality two days more or one day
more than the six months?
DELEGATE J. CLARK (presiding) :
Delegate White.
DELEGATE WHITE: It does not ap-
pear to me that this is germane to the
question we are discussing. Our Committee
did attempt to protect the voting rights of
people who moved in for a short period of
time. As I recall, something passed last
night that we debated quite a bit, at least
I listened while you debated it, that a
citizen would be permitted to return to the
district where he formerly lived for pur-
poses of casting his vote until such time
as he could establish the right to vote in
the new home. This has nothing to do with
economics.
DELEGATE J. CLARK (presiding) :
Delegate Gullett, you were trying to get
the floor.
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DELEGATE GULLETT: Sorry to speak
twice on the same subject. I wanted to at-
tend Delegate Gallagher's party at the end
of this Convention, but it is important to
ask one more question of Delegate White.
In regard to corporations, it was men-
tioned that Ocean City has particular speci-
fications about amount of stock entitling
a person to one vote. This wording in the
draft, however, does not preclude some
other municipal corporation which might
actually be practically owned by an outside
corporation from setting whatever standard
they wanted to. For instance, they could,
if they wanted to, set a vote so that every
stockholder could vote, could they not?
DELEGATE WHITE: That is perfectly
true. In fact, the statement was made by
the representative from Ocean City indi-
cating that property owners think pretty
much alike and if these 900 property
owners decided that they were going to
change the standards, certainly the local
residents, because of their small number,
could not overturn such a proposal.
DELEGATE J. CLARK (presiding) :
Delegate Weidemeyer.
DELEGATE WEIDEMEYER: Did I un-
derstand you to say that in one of the
Ocean City elections there were only 50
residents, actual residents, that voted in
that election?
DELEGATE WHITE : Approximately,
as I recall it.
DELEGATE WEIDEMEYER: Could
this happen? If there were only 50 resi-
dents there that are voting and you limited
it to those, those fellows would control it.
What would happen if, say, a hundred wel-
fare recipients who decided they had noth-
ing else to do except collect their checks
would like to enjoy those breezes down
there off the ocean and they moved down
there and still continued as welfare re-
cipients.
Do you think they ought to control that
town over and above all the people who pay
the taxes and have the property and the
investments there?
DELEGATE J. CLARK (presiding) :
Delegate White.
DELEGATE WHITE: 1 think if they
could meet the qualifications for residence
there and for the right to vote, certainly
they should control it. But I can recall
very briefly here, I am not on welfare, and
about ten years ago, I could not enjoy the
breezes down there.
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