Show THE HEADLESS BALLOT the times independent endorses unreservedly governor dems advocacy of the headless ballot for utah will make for cleaner politics and give every voter the opportunity to vote for the man instead of the party without the danger of spoiling his ballot the governors views on the ques alon as outlined in his message to the legislature are in part as follows utah still retains the antiquated system of putting the ticket of each political party in a separate column on the official ballot with a party emblem at the top so that a straight bucket may be voted by putting a cross in the circle under the emblem this implies that our voters are so ignorant that they either cannot read or else cannot make an intelligent choice between the various names on the ticket either of which Is an insult to the electorate the utah form of ballot is design ed to promote unthinking wholesale voting and to prevent a free and honest expression of the judgment ot th electors as to the qualifications of persons who are candidates for public office it Is the duty and the proper function of the electors to pass upon these qualifications and unless facilities are afforded for comparison of the names of the candidates and for the recording of the actual judgment and preference of the electors the elections do not function properly it the voters do not honestly consider and pass upon the qualifications of candidates for office they are derelict in their duty to the commonwealth and the state Is effectually prevented from having the benefit of their honest judgment and Is likewise prevented from having any adequate or effectual examination of the fitness of the persons who are to exercise public authority if the voters do not perform this duty they too frequently promote inefficiency connive at dishonesty and wink at corruption the voter ought therefore to be able easily safely and surely to vote precisely as he pleases walthou scratching any name ou tb ballot he should not be compelled to look into two three or four columns to find the names of the candidates tor governor for senator for sheriff or for any other office he ought to find them grouped together under the title of the office with the political designation of each candidate after his name he must then vote for a candidate for each office and he can consider and compare them and maat n inte ident choice ru candidates are entitled to i e the elaw or a itras read th mes before he makes his selection this plan involves no intention whatever to interfere with party nomo let the party conventions and leaders propose their candidates and then let the electors dispose of them freely as they will in the recent campaign there was the usual appeal from party managers to vote a straight ticket by putting a cross under the emblem one of the reasons advanced was that the legal methods of scratching a ballot are so technical that to do so is oftentimes confusing and if it Is done incorrectly the whole ballot Is in danger of being thrown out the voter Is therefore frightened into voting for candidates whom he disapproves this danger Is removed b the improved ballot another argument advanced for easy straight voting Is that we shoula have government by party rather than by individuals and that the public better protected by a party responsibility than by individual responsibility the trouble with this pretty theory Is that it seldom works when a public official proves unfaithful the party that elected him promptly repudiates him claiming that guilt Is personal and that the whole party should not be condemned because one of its members has gone wrong an appeal to blind party loyalty not infrequently simmers down to an attempt to elect nominees who are in competent or dishonest nevertheless if the voter believes in strict party responsibility he can still vote a ticket by voting for all the candidate of his own party from every standpoint except th standpoint of the selfish politician ohp party emblem system of voting Is harmful if not disgraceful instead of appealing to ignorance prejudice and tear we should stimulate intelligent independent voting and this can only be done by adoption of the headless ballot |