Henderson Daily Dispatch

Markers Law
Is Tested In
Raleigh Vote

Daily Dispatch Bureau,
In the Sir Walter Hotel.
Raleigh,
April 17.-Outside of
Raleigh and Wake county not many
people care much who are elected
in today's municipal election in the
State's capital, but unusual state-
wide attention is being attracted to
the voting because it will furnish
the first real test of North Caro-
lina's new election laws, particular.
ly the marker bill.

There have been, to be sure,
municipal elections in other, but
smaller, towns since enactment of
the new laws; but nowhere has there
been any such situation as exists
here.

For instance, there are two Ra-
leigh precincts (10 and 16) in which
the voters are almost exclusively
Negroes.
In previous elections,
practically all of them at these two
boxes have been assisted in marking
their ballots, usually by paid and
professional workers for the candi-
dates involved. It is widely believ-
ed, though it has never been judi-
cially determined, that hundreds
are simply herded to the polls like
(Continued on Page Six)
Markers Law Is Tested
In Raleigh Vote

(Continued From Page One)

so many sheep and their ballots marked with little or no regard to the real wishes, if any, of the voters themselves.

If the new law is enforced, this can't happen today and the effect, if any, on the size of the vote as well as on the results will be interesting to watch.

Elimination of the absentee ballot from the election is not likely to present any interesting angles, as previous muni battles have been fought out here with little or no use of that method of voting.

But markers have always been a going, even fighting, issue in the capital civic campaigns and handling of the situation in the current balloting will give a real and thorough test of the new law's effectiveness in controlling whatever evils markers have caused in the past.