| Show THE PROPOSED ELECTION LAW j tencil C tuncil file no 33 which has passed the Counci council land and has been reported to the house recommending ats passage ty by the on elections is a bill prescha abing ing qualifications qualification ons a for electors and office holders I 1 providing for ahe registration of voters and regulating latin lalin the manner of conducting elections the necessity for its enactment anad from certain provisions of the As ai asi alt i of congress known as the ed law that law vacated all the te and election ollices in this territory provided for tor their temporary occupation iby eby persons appointed by lal lae utan utah ui ih commission and left it to tae tue legislature of this territory to inake muke provis provisions lons ions to supersede the appo of that commission the lalands law also established a new quo qua iti ih cAtion catlon for tor voters and office holders I 1 nie rie n registration act passed at the S ss n ut ot 1878 was as good an election ir ie la ks could be found in any statute bauk it protected the k citizens iti zens in the la faial camul lai kal ial exercise of their privileges es as vout vou rs and preserved the purity of f the bubol box bos the secrecy of the ballot aau a ai the ri rights ats of f candidates and ani opposing parties where in law lav could be improved changes have been made in the new bill and pro pron inions have been incorporated to har nar harmonize monize with the edmunds act but tae main features of the law of 1878 nave been necessarily retained and parts ot of other existing laws pertaining pertaining erta ining to c e lemons have been embodied in tee tre the e pre pres s nt tat measure so as to cover all the arv aro a w i in one enactment tal tac chief changes that have been maue in the bill are as follows mec bee non uon eight provides that 1 no N person shall be eligible to be ele eif i baor u ci or appointed to any territorial d s strict riet t county or precinct office nor gnan bold boid any office ot of public trust huor or emolument in this territory ual ss he is qualified to register as a nou not r and shall have been a resident in t tu s territory during at least one year ast a at preceding such election or sec sections eions ten to twelve provide as follows sec seq 10 every person male or female over the age of twenty one years who is a citizen of the united states or who has declared on oath before a competent court of record his or her intention to become such and taken an oath to support the constitution ution and government of the united states who has been a resident in the territory six months and a re resident sl denhof of the precinct where his or her vote is to be cast for thirty days prior to the date of registration who has not been convicted of felony or treason so and is not idiotic or insane or otherwise disqualified as a voter by any law of the united states arof or of this territory Terri territory tor and who has been or may be registered as hereinafter provided shall I 1 be a qualified elector and entitled entitle a to vote at any election in this territory sec hec 11 all elections shall be held conducted and returns thereof made as in this act provided sec 12 12 the ithe assessors in and for their respective counties are hereby constituted the registration officers and they are required to appoint a resident deputy in each precinct to assist in carrying y ing out the provisions of this act the he assessor of each county in person perso n or by deputy shall hereafter revise revise and correct the registration lists of voters at the times and in the manner provided in this act and if any person whose name is not on the list of voters of his precinct shall claim the right to vote therein the registration officer shall require such person to subscribe and take the following oath or affirmation TERRITORY OF UTAH atau ss county of I 1 being first duly sworn depose and say that I 1 am a citizen of the united states or I 1 have declared on oath before defore be fore tore a competent court of record my intention to become a citizen of the united State sand have taken an oath to support the constitution and government of the united states as the case may be I 1 am over over twenty one years of age I 1 have resided in the territory of utah six months and in the precinct tei ot of thirty days next preceding the date hereof and I 1 am not dis disqualified as a voter by any law of the united states or of the territory of utah subscribed and sworn to before me this day of 13 18 assessor B by deputy assessor upon the receipt ef such affidavit the registration officer shall place the thy name of such person on the registry list of voters for said precinct in case the name of any person claiming atu hc right to vote is erased from the registration list of his precinct under the next section the name of such person shall be restored to said list by the registration gi officer at any time prior to or during the week commencing the last monday in june of each year upon such person taking the lore foregoing goin oath and if such person offers to take said sald oath it shallie shall shail be the duty of such registration officer to administer it and restore the name of such person as aforesaid and nd after the week wees co commencing in the last monday injune injure in june in each year it shall be unlawful for any registration officer to erase the name of any person from the registration lists of that year the county courts are authorized to appoint the judges of election I 1 two of whom at least shall be of the political party which was in the majority at the last fast previous election and one of the political party that was in the minority at the last previous election if anz any party there be in any such precinct the construction of the old law is improved in several minor particulars artic ulars and altogether the new bill M is a step in advance carpers may take exceptions to the provisions for filling the registration and election of offices flees because they th eyare are similar to those in force before the passage of the edmunds law but fair and thou thoughtful gotful people will conclude we believe that no better arrangements range ments could be made the assessors and their deputies cae attend to the registration more efficiently and with less expense to the territory than any atly other officers and as they are elected by the registered voters and must themselves be registered voters who all have to take the tre the oath that they are citizens and are not disqualified by any law of congress or of this territory there cannot be any valid objection to their acting in this capacity the office of juge judge of election is a small one and should be appointive and we know of no more competent or proper bo body to make the appointment that the bounty county court the bill is strictly in conformity with the laws of congress in every respect and apart from prejudice on either side must be characterized is as a good and sound measure worthy of any legislative body in the nation the only individuals divi duals who can reasonably object to it are those mormons cormons Mor mons who have been specially legislated a against g ainest by congress con gress and they are the th I 1 least a t likely ilk lik ely to raise any factious opposition to its passage or operations |
