This roundabout way of fixing the election date is used in order to make certain that the election shall not take place on the first day of the month, a time when those who work in banks, offices, etc., are particularly busy. Footnote 44: It is sometimes arranged that local elections shall take place in the odd years, while national and state elections come in the even years. Footnote 45: A ward boss in a certain American city some time ago was urging his followers to vote the “straight ticket”, but knowing that some of them could not read and recalling the fact that the figure of an eagle stood at the top of his party column, he bellowed at them “Now when you go to the polls put your cross right under that chicken with the short legs”. Footnote 46: For a further discussion, with additional data, see C. A. Beard, _American Government and Politics_, p. 673. Footnote 47: Proportional representation should also be distinguished from _limited voting_ and _cumulative voting_. Under the limited voting plan a voter is permitted to mark his ballot only for some smaller number of candidates than there are places to be filled. For example, if seven councilmen are to be chosen by the electorate of the city at large, each voter might be permitted to vote for not more than four. The outcome would very likely be that the strongest party would elect four councilmen and the next strongest three. This gives a certain amount of _minority_ representation, but does not ensure proportional representation. _Cumulative voting_ is an arrangement under which each voter is given as many votes as there are candidates to be elected but is permitted to allot all or any of his votes as he pleases. Thus, if three assemblymen are to be elected, the voter will have three votes. He may give all three votes to one candidate; or two votes to one candidate and one vote to another; or one vote to each of three candidates. This plan also gives reasonable assurance of minority representation, because the weaker party will concentrate its votes upon one candidate, but the usual outcome is that the majority, whatever its strength, will have twice as many representatives as the minority. It does not, therefore, ensure proportional representation. This plan has been used in Illinois. Footnote 48: In Ashtabula (Ohio), Boulder (Colorado), West Hartford (Connecticut), and Sacramento (California). Cleveland, the fifth largest city in the United States, adopted in 1921 a new city charter in which provision is made for using proportional representation at council elections. The first election under the new plan will be held in the autumn of 1923. Footnote 49: