In re McDade

43 A.D. 303, 60 N.Y.S. 333
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedSeptember 15, 1899
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 43 A.D. 303 (In re McDade) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re McDade, 43 A.D. 303, 60 N.Y.S. 333 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1899).

Opinions

McLennan, J.:

On the 19th day of September, 1899, the Democratic party of the city' of Rochester, 1ST. Y., held a primary election under and pursuant to the Primary Election Law, being chapter 179 of the Laws of 1898, as amended by. chapter 473 of the Laws of 1899 of the State of Few York. Under the provisions of such statute the duly qualified voters belonging to the Democratic party, .residing in the second district of the ninth ward of said ‘city, were entitled to vote for five delegates to each .of the following Democratic conventions, viz., the county, third, assembly district and city conventions. Such voters were also, in conjunction with the Democratic voters of the other district of said ward, entitled to nominate candidates for the offices of supervisor, alderman and constable of .such ward, and to elect ¡a ward committee consisting of nine persons. The regular ballots used by the voters of said primary election were such as were prescribed by the custodian of primary records (the county clerk in this case), and as prescribed conform to the requirements of the Primary Election Law in all respects. 'Each of such regular ballots :had printed upon its' face: under the words “Delegates to the County Convention,” “Delegates to the. Third Assembly District Convention,” “Delegates to the-City Convention,” five names respectively. There was also one name under the words “ For .Supervisor,” “For Alderman” and .“For Constable,” respectively; and under the words “ For Ward Committee” there were nine names, twenty-seven names in all arranged in a column and in the order above indicated.

At said primary election -there were 'two principal candidates for the nomination .for mayor of the city of Rochester, viz.;. Mr. George E. Warner and Mr. Charles B. Ernst. The ballot’s which contained the names of delegates to the City convention favorable to the nomi[305]*305nation of Mr. Warner for mayor were called Warner ballots, and those containing the names of delegates favorable to the nomination of Mr. Ernst were called Ernst ballots, and are so designated in this proceeding. Not only were the names of the delegates to the city convention different upon such ballots respectively, but that was substantially true of all the other names upon such ballots.

At the primary election in the district in question one hundred and twenty-two ballots were cast, and of such ballots one hundred and seventeen were concededly regular and legal in all respects. Sixty-two of that number were the regular Ernst ballots, so called, and contained the names of delegates to the city convention favorable to the nomination of Mr. Ernst for mayor; fifty-five' were the regular Warner ballots, so called, and contained the names of delegates to the city convention favorable to Mr. Warner’s" nomination. Of the five remaining ballots which were cast- four were regular Ernst ballots, but one had upon its face a paster of light, thin paper, just large enough to contain the names of the Warner delegates to the city -convention, printed in the same type as those names were printed in the regular ballots. This paper was smoothly pasted over the names of the Ernst delegates to the county convention. Two of- such ballots had upon them the same kind of paster placed over the names of the Ernst delegates to the city convention. The fourth ballot had a paster of the same kind containing the names of the ward committee, which appeared upon the regular Warner ballot, pasted over the names of the ward committee appearing on the Ernst ballot. The other, or fifth ballot, was a regular Warner ballot, so called, but three of the names of the ward committee printed thereon were erased with a lead pencil, and other names were written opposite such erasures upon the margin of the ballot.

At the close of the polls, upon opening the ballot box for the purpose of canvassing the votes cast, the inspectors found the ballots in the condition described. All of the ballots were similarly folded,, and all were substantially the same in external appearance. From an inspection of the outside the contents of the ballots could, in no manner, be ascertained; and the fact that upon such ballots were pasters could only be determined, if at all, by the most careful examination and inspection. It is possible that by the sense [306]*306of, feeling, as the ballots were folded,’ it could be discovered that there was a paster upon one of them. Such discovery could not be so made as to- either of the other ballots. When the ballots were canvassed by the inspectors,, the four ballots having pasters upon, them were protested by one of the duly appointed watchers,, and such .fact is noted upon the back of each of these by writing thereon the words Ticket protested on account of paster,” which statement was signed by the three inspectors. The ballot with the erasures and writing, with pencil was protested on account of being marked with pencil, and such protest was noted in those words upon the ballot, and was also signed by the inspectors. No objection or protest was, made upon the ground that such ballots were “ marked' for identification.”

The inspectors counted the three ballots upon which there were .pasters containing the names of the Warner delegates to the city convention, and the one Warner ballot in which certain of the names of the city committee were erased and other names written in their place with a pencil for the Warner city -delegates. They counted a ballot'which had a paster upon it containing the names of the Warner city committeee, so called, pasted over the names of the-Ernst city committee, so called, for the Ernst city delegates. This made the total number of ballots cast for the Ernst, delegates to the city convention, sixty-three, and the total number cast for the Warner delegates fifty-nine. That result -was duly returned by the inspectors, and a statement to that effect was made in the form- prescribed by the statute, and was duly signéd' by the inspectors. The five so-called split or marked ballots were-placed in an envelope which was sealed and then indorsed by the inspectors in the following words, viz.: “Ninth Ward, Primary District, Rochester, Monroe County. This envelope contains, ballots marked for identification of primary election held September 19, 1899, of above-district. Section 8,. subdivision 1, Primary Election Law.”' Such indorsement was signed by the three primary inspectors.. The envelope containing the five ballots- and the statement of the result of the election was delivered by the inspectors to. the custodian of the primary records, and the ballot box containing the -regular ballots voted at- such- primary election was deposited with the clerk of the city of Rochester, all as required by law.

[307]*307It was conceded by counsel upon the argument that the results declared by the inspectors, taken in conjunction with the result of the vote at the primary election in the other district of the ninth ward, was the election of delegates to the Democratic city convention from the ward favorable to the nomination of Mr. Warner for' mayor, and that if the five so-called marked or split ballots are void, or for any reason cannot be counted, the delegates to the city convention from the ninth ward favorable to the nomination of Mr. Ernst are chosen.

On the 22d day of September, 1899, at a Special Term of the Supreme Court held in the city of Rochester, N. Y., upon the affidavit of J. A. McDade, an elector and resident of said district, and one Isaac M.

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60 Misc. 420 (New York Supreme Court, 1908)
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Bluebook (online)
43 A.D. 303, 60 N.Y.S. 333, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-mcdade-nyappdiv-1899.