Foster v. Mayor of College Park

112 S.E. 361, 153 Ga. 112, 1922 Ga. LEXIS 27
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedMarch 17, 1922
DocketNo. 2802
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 112 S.E. 361 (Foster v. Mayor of College Park) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Foster v. Mayor of College Park, 112 S.E. 361, 153 Ga. 112, 1922 Ga. LEXIS 27 (Ga. 1922).

Opinion

Gilbert, J.

A proceeding was instituted through the solicitor-general of the Atlanta Circuit, seeking the validation of $70,000 of bonds of the City of College Park, fifty thousand dollars to be used for the purpose of erecting public-school buildings; ten thousand dollars to be used in establishing and maintaining sewer outfalls, and ten thousand dollars to be used in laying off, paving, and improving sidewalks. Foster, a citizen and taxpayer, intervened, opposing the validation of the bonds. A judgment and decree was entered, validating the bonds.’ The bill of exceptions assigns error upon that judgment. The intervenor contends that the judgment validating the bonds was erroneous and must be set aside, because the registration list used by the managers of the election was not a valid and legal list of the registered qualified voters of the City of College Park entitled to vote in an election for bonds; and that the list so used was the only evidence introduced on the trial, tending to show whether or not the requisite majority of the qualified voters of College Park voted in favor of the issuance of the bonds. The contention of the intervenor is as follows: ■ “ that said election was illegal, and that said bonds should not be confirmed and validated; and that with respect to the issue'of said bonds, the same were not assented to by two thirds of the qualified voters voting in said election, as required by law; for that there was no legal registration of the voters and no legal list of registered voters prepared for said election and used in said [114]*114election, The charter oí the City of College Park provides that it is the duty of the clerk of said municipality, on the first Monday in September of each year, to open a registration book for the registration of qualified voters of said city; said charter provides that said book shall be kept open from nine o’clock a. m. until 12 a. m., and from two o’clock p. m. to five o’clock p. m. each and every day, with the exception of Sunday and legal holidays, until five o’clock on Friday before the first Monday in December of each, year, and that at said time said book shall be fairly and absolutely closed. Intervenor shows that the registration obtaining in said election and the registration list used by the managers in said election were not prepared in accordance with the law, as herein-before set out; but that the registrar opened said registration book thirty (30) days before April 23, 1921, the date fixed for said election, and kept the same open until five (5) days before the day of said election, under tire provision in said charter relating to special elections in said city. Intervenor says that the provision in said charter relating to special elections was and is repealed by the following provision of an amendment to the constitution of this State, duly ratified by the people at the general election held in 1920 [1918], to wit, as follows: ‘ All laws, charter provisions, and ordinances heretofore passed or enacted, providing special registration of the voters of counties, municipal corporations, and other political divisions of this State, to pass upon the issuance of bonds by said counties, municipal corporations, and other political divisions, are hereby declared to be null and void.’ ” Incidentally it may be noted that the defendant in error in this court contends that this assignment of error cannot be considered, because the intervenor erroneously referred to the constitutional amendment of 1918 as having been ratified in the general election held in 1920. This merely inadvertent mistake in the j^ear is of no consequence, since the amendment, in so far as it is applicable, is quoted' in full, thus leaving no doubt as to the part of the constitution to which intervenor referred.

Section fifteen of the charter of College Park (Acts of the General Assembly of 1913, beginning on page 689) contains the following in regard to registration of voters: “ That it shall be the duty of the city clerk of the City of College Park, on the first Monday in September of each year thereafter, to open a [115]*115registration book for tbe registration of tbe qualified voters of said city. Said book shall be kept open from nine o’clock a. m. until twelve m., and from two o’clock p. m. 'until five p. m., each and every day (Sunday and legal holidays excepted) until five p. m. on the Friday before the first Monday in December of each year, when said book shall be fairly and absolutely closed. It shall be the duty of said clerk, upon application in person, and not by proxy, of any male citizen, who is qualified to vote for members of the General Assembly, who has paid all taxes of every character legally imposed and demanded by the authorities of said city except for the year in which the application is made, and has done all street work required of him by said authorities, and who, if a resident of said city at the date of the election, shall have resided in said city thirty days next preceding the election, to register the name of such person on said registration book; and said clerk shall not knowingly register any person who is not lawfully entitled to be registered under the provisions of this act; and said clerk shall in every case, before registering the applicant, administer to him the following oath: .■ . It shall be the duty of said clerk to prepare three lists of the names of the voters registered, in alphabetical order; and after the same have been checked over and approved by the mayor and council of said city, the said clerk shall furnish the same, under his official seal and signature, with the approval of said mayor and council thereon, to the managers of the election at or before the polls are opened; and the managers shall permit no one whose name is, not on said list to vote.” This provision for registration is made specifically to apply in the general elections for Mayor and Council of the City of College Park, which, under the charter, are held on the first Monday in December annually. The provision for registration quoted above provides that “the managers shall permit no one whose name is not on said list 'to vote.” Clearly, under this provision, the list of those qualified to vote in the general city election, under the charter, is limited to those registering with the clerk as provided in this section between the first Monday in September of each year and five o’clock p. m. Friday before the first Monday in December. The same section of the city charter further provides as follows: “ For any special election in said city, the said city clerk shall open said registration book thirty days before the date fixed for such [116]*116election, and shall keep the same open during the hours specified for the regular elections until five o’clock p. m. five days before the day of the election, and shall prepare and furnish the registration lists as hereinbefore provided.” Manifestly this provision for the registration of voters was to supply to the managers of elections a special list of voters, to be used at all elections other than the general city election held on the first Monday in December of each year; and the list of registered voters in such election has no connection with the list of registered voters required to be prepared for the general election. The legislative design was to require a new registration to be had within thirty days, doubtless on the theory that the registration list prepared for the regular election might become inaccurate and incomplete by reason of deaths, removals, and the arrival of minors at voting age.

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Bluebook (online)
112 S.E. 361, 153 Ga. 112, 1922 Ga. LEXIS 27, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/foster-v-mayor-of-college-park-ga-1922.