Ballot Reform

is a term applied to such improvements jn methods of voting as tend to eliminate unfairne at elections. Nearly every State in the Union has adopted some.plan intended to make the ballot wholly seeret. There is a single ballot, usually called a blanket ballot, because of its size, on which the voter indicates his choice—for a straight vyote— by marking a cro in the circle at the head of the column containing the nominees of his party, and for a scattered or split vote, by making a cro in the space before the desired name. Two forms of the single ballot are in use: (a) One, following the Australian plan, in which the titles of the officers are arranged alphabetically, the names of the candidates and the party following; (b) one which groups all names and offices by parties. In New York State the single ballot has one column for each organization that had made regular nominations, and another column containing only the titles of the offices to be filled, with a space on the left to indicate the choice by making a cro , and a space beneath the title of office, in which the voter could write the name of any person for whom he desired to vote, whose name was not printed in any of the party columns of the ballot. Each of the columns is headed by @ registered party emblem, the circle in whieh to indicate the choice for a Straight vote, and the name of the party organization.