How We Elect Our Representatives (1963)

for when we read about elections we usually think about the obligation of citizens to vote at least that's what Mary Carter is thinking about she has just turned 21 and is eager to take part in the coming election the following morning Mary arrives at the registration place for her Precinct there is usually one registration place for every two or 300 voters the purpose of registration is to make sure that only those people vote who are legally entitled to vote is Mary a citizen of the United States and over 21 has she been a resident of her state for one year does she meet the requirements of residence in her County and Precinct these are some of the voting requirements in Mary's State Mary is asked to swear or affirm the truth of her statements the registar asks Mary to sign registration cards she signs the cards with the same signature she will use on the day of the election this completes her registration Mary is now entitled to vote in the coming primary election in the primary Mary will help choose candidates who will run later in the general election several candidates within each party are running for nomination to the same office which candidates will get the party nominations will be decided by the coming primary election as the primary campaign continues Mary reads newspapers of different political opinions to get an objective view of the candidate's qualifications she studies brief descriptions of the offices to be filled Mary also finds samples or specimens of the ballots to be used as well as diagrams of voting machines for precincts that have these instead of paper ballots discussing the election and the various candidates with others helps to clarify the issues involved debates and discussions on television help the voter get better acquainted with the candidates handb s and pamphlets put out by various nonpartisan groups and by the candidates themselves describ the candidates qualifications for office deciding how to vote requires critical thought Mary makes notes to help her select the candidates and the party she will support in the primary election primary day is an exciting day for Mary near the polling place but not closer than the set by law party workers are passing out sample ballots and hand bills recommending their candidates Mary votes at the same place she registered voting procedures are specified by law election judges and clerks are in charge of the polling place to see that all voting is properly done once again Mary must sign her name this signature is checked against her signature on the registration records to be sure she is qualified to vote then the card is passed along to the election judge there are two ballots one for each party Mary is given one of these the ballot of the party she has chosen in the privacy of the voting booth Mary will vote for the candidates who will represent her party meanwhile party Watchers look for irregularities to prevent possible voting violations when Mary has indicated her choices for party nominees she presents her ballot to an election judge and her vote is cast the winners in the primary election will be the candidates in the general election now the nominees of each party put on intensive campaigns to win votes in the general election although in the primary Mary declared herself for one party she is not bound to vote for its candidates in the general election there are the candidates of the other parties to consider for the general election to compare their views on important issues Mary listens to as many of their speeches as she can and she discusses their relative merits with her friends by the day of the general election Mary has informed herself about the candidates of all parties and and is ready to Mark her ballot now how merry votes is her private concern her state allows her if she chooses to vote for all the candidates from one party by putting an X in the box at the top of the party list this is no longer permitted in some states and the voter is required to Mark each candidate separately this encourages voting for individuals regardless of party with a voting machine the process is similar except that instead of marking boxes with a pencil levers are moved opposite the names of the candidates when voting hours are over the polling place is closed and the election officials prepare to count the votes the box is unlocked and the ballots are taken out generally speaking only the election officials and party Watchers are allowed to be present when the votes are counted election officials are the only ones permitted to handle the ballots the election clerks Mark the count on their official tally sheets because regulations vary among the states it is very important that a voter mark his ballot accurately to meet the exact requirements of his state if a ballot is marked for a straight party ticket and for separate individuals of another party it may be discarded in many states a vote for an individual office may be invalidated if an X is marked outside a box or if marks other than an X are used ballots may also be invalidated if two candidates are marked for the same office if a ballot has any Mark identifying the voter the entire ballot will be invalidated usually very few ballots have to be discarded because most are correctly marked when all the ballots are tallied the votes are totaled when a voting machine is used the votes are totaled automatically the totals are read from counters on the back of the machine and then entered on tally sheet the tally sheets from voting machines and from paper ballots are sent to city or county election headquarters here they are added to the returns from other local polling places these figures are then sent to state election officials who make the final count and declare the candidates with the highest number of votes winners in the election after the election Mary is eager to learn the outcome she has fulfilled her first obligation as a citizen by voting and many of the candidates she supported have won Mary has done her part in maintaining our democratic system by helping to elect her Representatives