Secretary of State shall appoint two qualified electors to assist him. These appointees shall be known as Assistant State Election Commissioners. The State Election Commissioner and said Assistant State Election Commissioners shall comprise a body to be known as the State Election Commission. Hereafter, in this Act, the State Election Commissioner shall be referred to as "Commissioner"; his assistants as "Assistant Commissioners"; and the State Election Commission as "Commission." The two Assistant Commissioners provided for in this section shall be appointed by the Secretary of State from a list of names to be recommended and submitted to the Secretary of State by the State Chairmen of the two political parties that received the highest percentage of votes at the previous general election. The Chairman of the State Committee of each of these parties shall submit a list of three persons in each of said parties, and from this list the Secretary of State shall select one Assistant Commissioner from each of said parties. Assistant Commissioners shall take the same bath as that taken by executive state officers, and shall give a bond, to be approved by the Secretary of State in such sum as he may fix. The Assistant Commissioners provided for in this section shall be appointed as herein required within thirty days after this Act takes effect, and the term of the first Assistant Commissioners that are appointed shall expire on the first day of January, 1919, and the successors to the first appointees shall thereafter be appointed for a term of two years. Any vacancy in the office of Assistant Commissioner shall be filled in the same manner as that provided for in this section. The person appointed shall serve the unexpired term. The Assistant Commissioners shall each receive a per diem of Five Dollars and traveling expenses for each and every day that they are necessarily employed in discharging their duties.. The Commission shall have general charge and supervision of the administration of the provisions of this Act, and shall impartially discharge all duties imposed upon them and shall so administer the provisions of this Act as to carry out its true purpose and intent. It shall adopt an official seal.

Sec. 3. Card index-Register.-The Governor shall immediately prepare and make a card index, on which shall be entered the names of voters of this State who are now absent or

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Card Index

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may hereafter be absent from their respective election districts. in time of war, serving in the army, navy or other part of the military service of this State or of the United States. The index. cards of the voters shall be arranged in alphabetical order for each county, and also for each city in this State where registration of voters is required by law. In counties that include a city in which registration is required, two card indexes shali be kept; one containing the names of all absent voters in the territory in said county outside of said city; the other containing the names of all absent voters within the city. Such index register shall contain on each card the name of the voter, as it appears on the records of the war or navy department, his post office address, the county, precinct or city in which said voter has a legal residence,; if he resides in a city, his street or residence number, or such other description as will identify the place of his residence. Said cards shall contain the name or number or other designation of the Division, Regiment, Company, Troop, Vessel or other command in which the absent voter is serving at the time of such entry, so far as the Governor cau ascertain the same. If there are military reasons why this information should not be placed on a card, a record of the same shall be preserved in the office of the Governor. The Governor shall obtain from the proper military or naval authorities of the nation, or from any other source that is available and expedient, the information required to carry out the provisions of this Act. In the future, the Governor shall keep a complete card index in accordance with the provisions of this section, not only of those who are now in the army or navy of the United States, but also of those who may in the future enter the military service of the State or of the United States in any capacity. The Governor shall make a copy of the names of the various absent voters which shall be known as a general register and shall be a public record and shall, at all seasonable times, be open to inspection. This register shall be a copy as near as may be of the information set forth in the card index. The names shall appear in alphabetical order for each county, except in counties which include a city where registration is required by law, the names of the voters inside of said city and those outside of such city shall be arranged in separate lists in alphabetical order. The Governor

shall revise and correct the index cards and the register herein provided so that said cards and the records of the Governor's office, will as near as may be, correctly report the information relating to absent voters as required by the provisions of this Act. The Governor shall file with the Commissioner at least thirty days before a statewide, general or primary election, a copy of the general register as shown by the records of said office as revised and corrected to the date of its filing. The Governor shall file with the City Clerk, or other officer having charge of the preparation of the ballots and the conduct of an election in any city in which registration of voters is required by law, at least、 thirty days before any general or primary election in said city, a copy of said general register in so far as it relates to the absent voters in said cities. Said copy shall contain the information that appears on the general register in the Governor's office, revised and corrected up to the time of furnishing the same to the said city. Every public officer and every citizen, when requested so to do in writing by the Governor or the Commission, shall furnish to the Governor such information as he may possess relating to absent voters who are in the military service of the State or of the United States. Any person who shall refuse to furnish said information or shall wilfully furnish false information with reference to such absent voter, shall be deemed guilty of a felony and shall, on conviction thereof, be punished by imprisonment in the State Penitentiary for any period not more than three years.

Sec. 4. Soldiers' ballots-Oath.-The Commission shall cause to be prepared and printed at least twenty-five days before any statewide primary sufficient primary ballots to supply each absent voter who at the time is stationed within the Continental United States with at least one ballot for each political party that has polled ten per cent, or more, of the total vote cast at the previous general election. Said ballots shall be prepared and arranged in accordance with the laws relating to the preparation and arrangement of primary ballots, except that the names of candidates for office that are to be elected in smaller subdivisions than the State shall be omitted therefrom. Said ballots shall have printed thereon, under the proper office division, the names of all offices for which candidates are to be nominated at

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Soldiers' Ballots

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said primary and blank spaces under each office division in which the voter may write in the name of any candidate for whom he desires to vote in said primary. The provision of the primary law with reference to printing constitutional amendments on official primary ballots and the arrangement of the ballots with reference to said amendments shall be the same as are provided by the general primary laws of this State. If persons are to be nominated at said primary on a non-partisan ticket the Commission shall prepare and print at least twenty-five days before any primary election sufficient non-partisan ballots to supply each absent voter, who at the time is stationed within the Continental United States, with at least one ballot. Said non-partisan primary ballot shall be arranged in accordance with the laws of this State relating to the preparation and arrangement of non-partisan ballots, except that the names of all candidates for office that are to be elected in smaller subdivisions than the entire State shall be omitted therefrom. Said ballots shall have printed thereon under the proper office division the names of all offices for which candidates are to be nominated on a non-partisan ballot and blank spaces shall be left under each office division in which the voter may write in the names of all persons for whom he desires to vote.

The Election Commission shall prepare and print at least one official envelope for each absent voter, who at the time is stationed within the Continental United States. Said envelope shall be made out of substantial paper of a red color. Hereafter in this Act said envelope shall be referred to as the "red envelope." Upon one side of said envelope shall be printed substantially the following:

"OFFICIAL WAR BALLOT FOR PRIMARY ELECTION, August, 19

Name of voter.

Residence

County of

City or town of..

Precinct or Ward of.

Present location

STATE ELECTION COMMISSION.”

Upon the other side of said red envelope shall be printed substantially the following:

"INSTRUCTIONS TO VOTERS.

Before signing the affidavit read these instructions carefully:

(1.) If the voter is a citizen of the United States strike out in the affidavit the words: "that I have declared my intention to become a citizen of the United States." If the voter is not a citizen of the United States, but he has declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States, strike out the words: "that I am a citizen of the United States.”

(2.) Insert in the blank space the name of the precinct in which the voter resided at the time of his enlistment. If the voter resides inside a city, insert the name of the city in the proper space and give the street number of his residence, or such other description as will identify his place of residence.

(3.) Insert in the proper space the post office address of the voter. If in a city, give street number or such other description of his place of residence as will clearly point out the place of residence of the voter.

(4.) Insert in the proper space the Division, Regiment, Company, Troop, Vessel or other command to which the voter is attached at the time of signing this affidavit.

(5.) The venue to this affidavit may be omitted if there are military reasons why it should be. The acknowledgment of this affidavit must be signed by a commissioned officer of the army or navy of the United States, who is acquainted with the voter. The officer signing the same shall add the rank of his commission: whether Lieutenant, Captain, etc., and the subdivision to which he belongs.

(VENUE)

OATH OF ABSENT ELECTOR.

I do solemnly swear-or affirm-that I am a citizen of the United States-that I have declared my intention to become a citizen of the United States; that I am of the age of at least 21