Must Stand Where Each Voter Can Be Seen

The better to enable the supervisors of election to discharge their duties, they are authorized and required, in their respective election districts or voting precincts, on the day of registration, on the day when registered voters may be marked to be challenged, or on the day of election, to take such a position, from time to time, as will, in their judgment, best enable them to see each person who offers himself for registration or to vote, and permit them to scrutinize the manner in which the registration or voting is being done; and at the closing of the polls for the reception of votes, they are required to sit or stand in such a position near the ballot-boxes as will best enable them to canvass the ballots and see that the election has been fairly conducted.

How Foreigners Are Naturalized And Become Citizens

PERSONS born in foreign nations and coining to the United States to reside, are required to submit to certain forms of law before they can become citizens of any State or Territory, as follows: Going before either a district or circuit court of the United States, or a district or supreme court of any Territory, or any court of record having jurisdiction in such cases, he must declare on oath that he intends to become a citizen of the United States, and to renounce forever his allegiance to any foreign sovereign or State, especially naming the kingdom or empire of which he was formerly a subject.

Two years, or more, after thus declaring his intention to become a citizen, he applies to the court for admission to all the rights and privileges of a citizen of the United States. At this time he must clearly state, under oath, that he will support the Constitution of the United States and again renounce all allegiance to any foreign sovereign or government, especially the one under whom he formerly lived. He must also show, to the satisfaction of the court, that he has resided within the United States five years, and within the State or Territory in which the court is then held for a certain period; that he has during that time behaved as a man of good moral character, attached to the principles of the Federal Constitution: that he is well disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States, and that he expressly renounces and abandons any hereditary title of nobility or association with any of the orders of nobility which he possessed in his native or adopted foreign country, and this renunciation is recorded in the court. Witnesses are necessary to prove the fact of his having resided in the country the requisite time before applying for citizenship, his own oath not being sufficient.

Any person who immigrates into the United States from a foreign country three years before coming of age, and maintains his residence here until twenty-one years old and two years longer, may, at the expiration of the whole five years, be admitted to all the rights and privileges of a citizen without making the preliminary declaration of his intention to become such; but he must then make oath that for two years past such has been his intention, and fully comply with all the other requirements of the naturalization laws.

The provisions of this law apply equally to white persons of foreign birth, of African nativity or African descent.

When Native-Born Citizens And Foreigners May Vote

THE CONDITIONS under which a person born in the United States or Territories may vote at general State elections are: That the person shall be a male, twenty-one years of age, and have resided in the State where he votes a definite period of time. Certain States require educational and property qualifications.

After arriving in the United States, a foreigner may go before a competent court and make oath that he desires to become a citizen of the United States. The paper given him by the court is a certificate that he has "declared his intention" to become a citizen.

Five years afterwards he may go again before a proper court and take out papers of naturalization. The foreigner is then naturalized, and is a citizen of the United States, entitled to vote the same as a native-born citizen.

Each State has its own law as to the time a foreigner shall have lived in the United States before he can vote in that State. Thus in Illinois the law requires that the voter must be a citizen. This makes it necessary that the foreigner must have taken out his naturalization papers, and have been a resident in the United States for five years preceding the time when he can vote. This is the law in several States.

Other States require only that the foreigner, in order to be allowed to vote, shall have declared his intention to become a citizen. He then has the same privilege as the native-born, concerning the length of time he shall remain in the State where voting. Different States, it will be seen, have different laws as to the time the voter shall be a resident of the State.

In most of the States voters are required to be registered before election.

The length of time that those persons entitled to vote must remain in the State, county, or election precinct before voting, is shown in the following list of States.

Time Of Residence Required In State, County And Precinct

Alabama - State, one year; county, three months; ward or precinct, thirty days.

Arizona - Territory, one year; county, ten days.

Arkansas - State, one year; county, six months, precinct or ward, thirty days.

California - State, one year; county, ninety days; precinct, thirty days. Foreigners must be naturalized. Chinamen not allowed to become citizens.

Colorado - State, six months; women vote at school elections.

Connecticut - State, one year; town, six months. Must be able to read State laws. Foreigners required to be naturalized. Must have good moral character and a freehold yielding $7 annually, or pay State tax, or have done military duty.

Dakota* - Territory, ninety days. Women allowed to vote.

Delaware* - State, one year; county, one month. Must pay a county tax. Foreigners must be naturalized. Paupers not allowed to vote.

District of Columbia - No elections are held here. The various local officers are appointed by Congress and the President.

Florida - State, one year; county, six months.

Georgia - State, one year; county, six months. Voters must have paid their taxes.

Idaho* - Territory, four months; county,thirty days. Foreigners must be naturalized.

Illinois - State, one year; county, ninety days: election district, thirty days. Foreigners must be naturalized.

Indiana* - State, six months: town, sixty days; ward or precinct, thirty days. Foreigners must be residents of the United States one year.

Iowa - State, six months; county, sixty days; town or ward, ten days. Foreigners required to be residents of the State two years.

Kansas - State, six months; township or ward, thirty days.

Kentucky* - State, two years; county, town, or city, one year; precinct, sixty days. Foreigners must be naturalized.

Louisiana - State, one year; parish, ten days.

Maryland - State, one year; city or county, six months. Foreigners must be naturalized.

Maine - State, three months. Paupers and Indians not allowed to vote. Foreigners must be naturalized.

Massachusetts - State, one year: Congressional district, town or city, six months. Must have paid a State or county tax. Must be able to read and write. Paupers not allowed to vote. Foreigners must be naturalized.

Michigan* - State, three months; township or ward, ten days. Foreigners must be residents of the State two years and six months.

Minnesota - State, four months; election distinct, ten days. Foreigners must have lived in the United States one year.

Mississippi - State, six months; county, one month. Foreigners must be naturalized.

Missouri - State, one year; county, city or town, sixty days.

Nebraska - State, six months; county, forty days; ward or precinct, ten days.

Nevada - State, six months; county or district, thirty days. Foreigners must be naturalized.

New Hampshire - Town, six months. Must be tax-payers. Foreigners must be naturalized.

New Jersey - State, one year; county, five months. Foreigners must be naturalized.

New Mexico - Territory, six months; county three months: precinct, thirty days. Foreigners must be naturalized.

New York - State, one year; county, four months; district, town, or ward, thirty days. Foreigners must be naturalized.

' No registration required.

North Carolina - State, one year; county, thirty days. Voter must own fifty acres of land or have paid taxes.

Ohio - State, one year; county, thirty days; town, village or ward, twenty days. Foreigners must be naturalized.

Oregon - State, six months; county or district, ninety days.

Pennsylvania - State, one year; election district, two months. Must have paid State or county taxes within two years. Former citizens returned from abroad may vote after six months' residence. Foreigners must be naturalized.

Rhode Island - State, one year; town or city, six months. Must own property in his town and pay taxes on it. Foreigners must be naturalized.

South Carolina - State, one year: county, sixty days. Foreigners must be naturalized.

Texas* - State, one year: county or election district, six months. Paupers not allowed to vote.

Tennessee* - State, one year; county, six months, and must pay poll-tax. Foreigners must be naturalized.

Utah - Territory, six months. Wives, widows and daughters of citizens can vote.

Vermont* - State, one year; town, three months. Foreigners must be naturalized.

Virginia - State, one year; county, city, or town, six months. Foreigners must be naturalized. Paupers not allowed to vote.

West Virginia - State, one year; county, thirty days. Foreigners must be naturalized. Paupers not allowed to vote.

"Wisconsin - State, one year. Paupers not allowed to vote.

Wyoming* - Territory, ninety days. Women allowed to vote.

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