Government in the United States, National, State and LocalGarner, James Wilford
History
Government in the United States, National, State and Local
Garner, James Wilford
United States -- Politics and government
_State Contributions to Party Campaign Funds._--In the belief that the
state ought to bear a part of the candidate's expenses, to the end that
the poor office seeker may be more nearly on an equal footing with the
candidate of means, Colorado recently passed a law providing that the
state should contribute to the campaign fund of each political party a
sum of money equal in amount to twenty-five cents for every vote cast by
the party for governor at the preceding election. The law allowed the
candidates themselves to spend their own money to aid in their election,
but prohibited other persons or corporations from making contributions.
In short, the expense was to be borne by the state and the candidate
alone. This Colorado law, however, was declared unconstitutional by the
state courts.
_Other Restrictions._--In some states also the expenditures of party
committees are limited, and such committees are required to make sworn
statements of their expenditures and the purposes for which they were
made. Several states prohibit the payment by other persons of a voter's
poll tax where the payment of such a tax is a condition to the voting
privilege.
Everywhere there are laws against bribery, intimidation, fraudulent
voting, and most of the other election offenses. More and more, public
sentiment demands that elections shall be free from the taint of
corruption, to the end that the results shall represent the real choice
of the people and thus popular government made to be what its founders
intended that it should be.
=References.=--BEARD, American Government and Politics, pp.
453-457; also ch. xxiii. FULLER, Government by the People, chs.
ii-vi, viii-xi. GARNER, Introduction to Political Science, ch. xv.
HART, Actual Government, ch. iv.
=Documentary and Illustrative Material.=--1. Legislative manual or
blue book of the state. 2. The election laws of the state. 3. Copy
of instructions to voters. 4. Specimen ballots.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What are the qualifications for voting in your state?
2. When were women first allowed to vote in your state?
3. Are there any offices in your state held by women?
4. How many voters are there in your state?
5. Is there a registration requirement?
6. Do you think the right to vote should be restricted to persons who
are able to read and write?
7. Give the date on which state elections are held in your state; city
elections; judicial elections. Why should national, state, and city
elections be held on different dates?
8. Name some offices in your state now filled by popular election which
in your opinion should be filled by appointment.
9. Who are the election officers in your county?
10. What is the usual location of the polling place in your ward or
precinct?
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