Chapter XVIII - Simplification of Nomination and Election

If we boil down each election to that of a very few men for a single office, it becomes entirely practicable to adopt the method of self-nomination, which has been practised for centuries in England in the election of Members of Parliament. Any man in that coun try can offer himself as candidate for any seat in [ 298 ] Nomination and Election Parliament, from any borough, whether he is resident of it or not.· One might suppose that a vast number of ambitious men would put themselves forward as candidates, for mere notoriety, if for nothing else. But such is not actually the case, because of the small chance of accomplishing anything except to be laughed at, in the case of insignificant and unsup ported personalities. A candidate must have either the support of one of the political parties, obtained from its committees in the usual way, or he must hav~ a large personal following acquired by public work, or agitation, or in some other fairly legitimate way. For instance, a great Socialist, or great labor agitator, could present himself as candidate with reasonable prospect of election; but a mere ward politician of the type so familiar in this country would have small chance except in his own home borough; while even there at home he would be sure to be opposed by one or more candidates, perhaps from outside, of national reputation, or special fol~ lowing.

In short, the method works over there. It does not at all do away with party organization or party politics; but, as I understand it, it does minimize the machine. In order to do this, and in order to reduce my thought to concrete form, I added to my project of some years ago the following outline of methods of nomination and election: I. Candidates to nominate themselves, whether for local Commissionership or State Senatorship, by the simple process of advertising their candidacy in the daily papers long enough before election, say six months, to permit full investigation and discussion of their personal records, character, political views, and purposes in seeking office. This does away at one stroke with the entire necessity for primary elec[ 299] Too Much Government-Too Much Taxation tions and permanent party sub-organizations, such as ward clubs; though, of course, there is nothing to prevent the continuance of such party machinery; and it would probably survive, though much reduced in size, because it would hardly pay anybody a living.

2. Do away with registration days, and substitute a permanent Bureau of Registration and Election, with branches, whenever necessary, located at nat ural centres of traffic; that is on the main street of country villages, and at the prominent subcentres found in every city, by one of which every adult resident must pass once or twice a week in everyday life. Divide the voting population into regional blocks of about 25,000 voters; at least one block to each local governmental unit, even though smaller than 25,000 voters. The Registration Bureau to employ a permanent staff of canvassers, who shall make a houseto-house canvass of the entire popula tion at least twice a year, say the middle of May and the middle of October; so as to catch the spring and fall movings. Keep at each bureau, or branch bu reau, a complete duplicate-card census-index, alphabetical and residential, of every man, woman, and child in its district, with full street address and cen sus particulars; with a third index: card for each voter, consecutively numbered and bearing also for identification his signature; the residential cards to be filed by streets and numbers, the alphabetical cards to be filed alphabetically, and the voters' trip licates also to be filed alphabetically.

3. A sufficient time after the announcement of all candidacies, say six weeks before election, the canvassers of the Bureau to prepare and distribute from house to house to every voter an Australian ballot bearing his name and index-card number, and containing· the names of all candidates for election [ 300 ) Nomination and Election with such party designations or symbols as they may request; with three columns at the right of the column of names for marking first, second, and third choices. A detachable coupon to form part of each Australian ballot, duplicating the names of candidates and the three choice-columns. 4. Divide the territory served by the Bureau or branch into regional blocks of approximately 1,000 voters, taken in neighborhood order, to each block; and mark on each Australian ballot conspicu ously for each block a certain day of the election month. For instance, the first week day of the month for the first thousand voters, the second week day for the second thousand; and. so on until at the end of 25 week days the entire 25,000 voters can be polled, at the rate of 1,000 a day. Modify the elec tion law accordingly, so that the existing congestion of polling the entire vote on a single day may be done away with, and the polling conveniently spread out over the month.

L 5. Furthermore, permit the voter to vote by marking his Australian ballot with first, second, and third choices for as many candidates as are to be elected; signing it, and delivering it by mail or in person to the Bureau on or before the voting date shown on its face. Give him the alternative, if he desires to vote a secret ballot, to sign and deliver his ballot personally at the Bureau, on or before its elec... tion date, without marking it; and then personally to register his votes for the res'pective candidates upon voting machines installed there for that purpose. 6. Each candidate to pay the advertising ex pense of announcing his candidacy; and a reason able sum for printing his name upon the Australian ballots, and allotting to him a special adding wheel upon the voting machines at all bureaus. [ 3°1 ] Too Much Government-Too Much Taxation 7. Make it the duty of the Bureau to register upon the voting machines all ballots properly marked and sent in, so that· from day to day the total vote polled for each candidate, whether by marked or secret ballot, can be ascertained publicly from the voting machines. The voter in all cases to fill out and retain the duplicate coupon as his private record of his vote, and as evidence in case of investigation and recount.