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T$ CITIZENSHIP AND- SUFFRAGE IN MARYLAND..
III. NOMINATION6'AND:THE BALLOTS. .
- 'The Australian ballot system, with its secrecy of voting, was first
intro-
-, duced into Maryland in 1$90, and has been quite an improvement on the old
system. However, no system is satisfactory unless well and honestly admin-
istered. Great.complaint has been made that, frequently, proper appoint-
ments are not made for minority Supervisors and election officers,l and that
the spirit of the law is violated in many ways. Undoubtedly, the law needs
further improvements. For example, screens should be placed before the
booths, as now any one may see whether the voter stamps his ticket more
than once, and often in what part of the ticket he affixes the stamp. The
former
shows whether the ticket is " scratched" or not; the latter, for which party
the vote is cast. However, the "blanket ballot " is a good one, and the
system in general is a vast improvement on prior ones.
- The bane of Maryland's jurisprudence is the lack of uniformity in local
laws. This is seen in the election laws. For example, in Frederick City, in
-State elections, voters use the "blanket ballot," with each party's nomina-
tions in a separate vertical column. In municipal elections, the ballots
place
'the nominations of each party in a horizontal column. This is, of course,
confusing to voters. There should be. thorough uniformity in all elections.
The ballot ' law was much amended in 1$92. Under it' are held all
`' - Federal, State and county elections; as well as in general; the
municipal
odes in Baltimore, Annapolis, 'Frederick, Cumberland and Hagerstown.
The ballots are all printed by the Supervisors, and contain the names
of all candidates nominated and not withdrawn; the candidates of each
r party being grouped together in parallel columns, headed by the names
of the parties and, if desired, by emblems, selected by the patios and
°- registered with the Secretary of State. These last are for the guidance
of illiterate voters. At the right of each column of nominations is a nar-
row space, in which the voter may make cross-marks' to indicate for whom
lie votes. A cross against the emblem or party name is a vote - for the
whole party ticket: , one against either of these and a name in another
column, shows the voter wishes to substitute the one in the other column
for the nominee of the party, for whose other candidates lie votes. A voter
may also mark each name separately, and to the right of the various tickets
is a blank column, wherein he may write the name of any person not a
nominee, for whom he may wish to vote. The parties are grouped from left
to right, in the order of the vote they cast at the previous election.
Consti-
tutional Amendments, when submitted to popular vote, shall be placed in a.
column at the extreme right of the ballot, with two blank spaces; one headed
" for," the other " against." Ballots are printed with black ink on white
(1) Statute of 1890, ch. DX%%VIII. In one county, at least, the minority
Supervisor was appointed on the recom-
mendations of the leader of the majority party.
(2) Sheriffs must give three weeks' notice of election in papers. Statute
of 1881, ch. CCCL%%IV.
(3) Statute of 1892,ch. CCX%XVI.
(4) A stamp is provided for this, but pencil and ink crosses are allowed.
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