Some of the modifications have been im portant, due chiefly to struggles of the local organizations either to defeat the secrecy of the ballot and keep account of the purchased votes, or to prevent 'xscratching* and ensure the vot ing of "straight tickets.* In short this would emasculate the system of its vital principle. Fully 90 per cent of the States have provided for an official ballot," wherein, in one arrangement or another, are given the names of all candidates who have been duly nominated by the various parties or organizations of voters for the offices to be filled at the ap proaching elections. There are a few excep tions, however. While Missouri and New Mexico provide the official ballots at public ex pense, a separate ballot is required for each party. In Georgia and South Carolina the preparation and distribution of the ballots are left entirely to the voters, and in the former it is not even required that the ballots be uni form in size, shape or color.
Forma.— More than 40 States have adopted the official Thlanlcet ballot° but their methods of arranging the names of the candidates on the ballot vary considerably. In 31 States the bal lot has a party column, the candidates of each party being arranged vertically under the name of the rty, and in all but 12 States the column is hnded by the party emblem. This was done on the nominal ground that the illiterate voters and a large part of those not technically such do not wish to vote anything but the °straight party ticket° and should not be hindered in their choice, much less deprived of it Hence in all but two of the party column States (Iowa and Montana) provision is made so that the voter may easily vote istraight°— usually. by marking a cross (X) in the square or circle under the party name or emblem at the head of the column which the illiterate voter can be taught to recognize. If a voter desire to °scratch° the ticket (for instance, if he wish to vote for the Republican candidate for governor, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant-gover nor and the Progressive candidate for comp troller) he either marks a cross (X) in the circle at the head of one party coltunn and then an X after each candidate not on his p.arty ticket; or he omits the cross in the top circle altogether and marks a cross after the name of every candidate for whom he wishes to vote. The 'Massachusetts° or loffice-group° form of ballot is used in 14 States. On this ballot the names of all candidates for each office (usually in alphabetical order) are grouped together, each name being accompanied by the name of the party nominating him. While the obvious intent of this is to compel the voter to think, Colorado, Nebraska and Pennsylvania, though using the form, have adopted devices making especially easy the voting of a straight party ticket States which use the Massachusetts form of ballot provide that the name of no candidate for a single office shall be used more than once upon the ballot and in these States this provision works no hardship; but this limi tation is found in 14 States which have the °party column° ballot and the effect is to dis courage fusion in nominations.
Dangers and As stated above, the ballot itself has not rid the political system of its many attendant evils. The rapidity with which the Australian ballot was adopted was due to the fact that the politicians believed they could appropriate it to serve their own pur poses; and that they have done so shows that good government depends primarily on the in telligence, honor and integrity of the voter and not on the devices that are placed at hand for his use. Undoubtedly there are less open in timidation and coercion and the voting places are not so often the scenes of riot and dis order, but the complexity of ballot legislation has been used by party organizations to their own good advantage. The politician prefers the °party column° ballot since he can easily teach the illiterate element among the voters to look for the party emblem and make his cross in the circle provided, which of course entails the minimum of thought and effort. With most of the newer voting devices, an effort to scratch the ticicet is very liable to render the ballot void and for this reason, if for no other, inde pendent voting is usually light. Party organi zation also receives a legal sanction from the Australian ballot and in some States the party leaders thereby are given great Dower in de termining those to receive party recognition either as candidates or voters. Often too the number of votes cast by political groups at some elections is insufficient to meet the pro hibitive legal requirements, and thus, though they have the promise of effective leadership, their names would not appear on succeeding ballots.
In numerous places the ballots have assumed immense proportions, that used in New York city. election of 1909 being 15 inches wide and 46 inches long and containing 18 party columns (although 13 of these were entitled °Independ ent Nominations°) besides one blank column for the voter to insert the names of those for whom he desired to vote. Several of the columns contained the names of candidates for all 21 offices to be filled, while some contained the name of the mayoralty candidate only and one party had made no nominations but held its place on the ballot because at the preceding election it had polled sufficient votes to meet the legal requirements.