People ex rel. Brown v. Board of Supervisors

170 A.D. 358, 156 N.Y.S. 214, 1915 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6008
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in People ex rel. Brown v. Board of Supervisors. Read the opinion of the Court — 170 A.D. 364

Opinion

Per Curiam:

This is one of the proceedings in the county of Nassau, similar in their character to those considered in the county of [359]*359Suffolk in People ex rel. Brown v. Bd. of Suprs., Suffolk Co. (170 App. Div. 364), decided herewith.

Ballot 250, second district of North Hempstead. The ballot is unobjectionable in form. The intervenor insists that it is one of the void ballots, and should be added to his count. The relator answered that the return showed that there were 10 ballots void for Governor, and that 11 were found in the envelope; that there was nothing to show that this was a void ballot, none of the ballots was indorsed, and ballot 248 is indorsed on the back “7 void.” The intervenor contended that “ it ” (referring to the envelope) contained 11 ballots; that Exhibit ballot 252 is indorsed "10 void ballots,” and Exhibit 248 is indorsed “7 void” ballots, and there was no indorsement on ballot 250. The court ruled that it could not determine under the circumstances that this ballot was one of those that were held to be void, and held that the return was satisfied by the other ballots, and that this was an extra one. The court finally denied the motion for the addition of this ballot to Mr. Hicks’ count. We think that the ruling that denied the motion for addition of the ballot to the intervenor’s vote should be sustained, because it is not clear nor apparent whether or not this ballot was originally counted.

Ballot 255, district No. 5, town of North Hempstead. It was contended by the intervenor that it had been counted for Mr. Brown, and should be deducted from Mr. Brown’s vote. The court granted the motion that it should be deducted from the relator Brown’s count. The ballot shows that it was indorsed “Marked for identification,” apparently by the inspectors on election night, and opposite the name of a candidate for Secretary of State such mark had been made as makes it a void ballot. We think that the ruling of the court was right, and that it should be affirmed, and the vote should be deducted from the relator Brown’s vote.

Ballot 257, election district No. 2, North Hempstead, was offered for deduction from intervenor Hicks’ vote, and the motion was granted. When ballot 257 was offered originally for such deduction, it was said by counsel for the relator that the return and tally sheet in that district were not correct, but that he would not ask for any decision until they had an order [360]*360against the inspectors, and decision, therefore, was reserved. We cannot find that any writ was ever obtained. The ballot shows that it was indorsed “ Marked for identification,” apparently by the inspectors on election night, and contains a tear or erasure opposite the name of a candidate for Secretary of State. We think that the court made a right ruling and that its determination that the vote should be deducted from the intervenor Hicks’ vote should be sustained.-

Ballots 308 and 310, district 2, Oyster Bay. The intervenor says that these ballots were concededly treated as void by the inspectors of election. The ballot was offered as an addition to the relator Brown’s count, but was objected to on the ground that there was an erasure made by a pencil. The Special Term held that the ballot was valid and granted the motion. We think the ruling of the court was correct and that its decision should be affirmed.

Ballot 310, same district. This was offered for addition to the relator Brown’s vote. We think that the mark in the voting space for the relator does not offend the statute. The ruling that the ballot was valid and should be added to the relator’s vote was right, and the decision is affirmed.

Ballot 318, district 8 of the town of Oyster Bay. This ballot was offered for reduction from the vote of the intervenor Hicks, in that it was void as marked for identification. In the attempted votes for Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals, United States Senator, Representative in Congress and State Senator, a cross was put before the emblem and not in the voting space designated to contain the mark of the voter; and in the votes for Attorney-General and State Engineer the cross was put after the emblem and not in the voting space designated. The intervenor objected, that in that district but one ballot was returned as void, and asked how, then, could it be determined that this is not the void ballot ? It was answered that the return shows no void ballot returned “ all down the line; ” that there is not a void ballot for all of the offices, and that the return showed 1 void for Congress. The argument of the relator is that none of the ballots found in the envelope was indorsed void; that the return showed 3 void for Governor and 1 each for Lieutenant-Governor, Sec[361]*361retary of State, Comptroller and Representative in Congress, and it is thus apparent, the total vote for every office being the same, that the inspectors counted 2 ballots void for Governor only, and good or blank for the other offices, and, therefore, disregarded the rule that a ballot void for one office is void for every office; for if they had obeyed it, the number of void ballots returned would have been the same for all offices. He concludes, therefore, that it is quite as probable as not that the ballot containing the void vote for Congress is in the ballot box as that it is in the envelope, and that the ordinary presumption should apply that a ballot indorsed as Exhibit 318, “marked for identification,” has been counted, and as this ballot is wholly void on account of the marks in the emblem spaces, it should be deducted. The intervenor answers that although the ballot was void, the refusal of the Special Term to deduct the vote from the intervenor was right for the reason that the proof was insufficient to show that it had been counted. The Special Term held that the ballot was void, but declined to permit the ballot to affect the vote for the intervenor Hicks, because the situation made it uncertain for a determination whether the ballot should be deducted or added. We think that the disposition thus made should be affirmed.

Ballot 367, election district 9, town of Hempstead. This ballot was offered for addition to the relator Brown’s vote. His counsel at the time of offer submitted that “the return shows five void ballots right through; the ballot clerk return shows one returned and cancelled by the voter; * * * the spoiled ballot has been accounted for and picked out by the inspector and has testified to more void ballots than he is supported by the return.” The intervenor concedes in his brief that the ballot is valid, but the contention is that there was no evidence to show that it was treated as void by the inspectors. It is 'undisputed that this ballot, when it first came out of the envelope, was indorsed in lead pencil “ Spoiled.” At the hearing held on December 1, 1914, testimony was taken that it was one of the void ballots returned for Congress. Indeed, there was much testimony offered. There was an auxiliary writ of mandamus issued after the decision of the Court of Appeals. In the original petition for an auxiliary writ of mandamus, it [362]*362was shown that ballots indorsed as spoiled and placed in the envelope were ballots in fact adjudged void, and that the inspectors omitted to indorse the memorandum of their objections.

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People ex rel. Brown v. Board of Supervisors, 170 A.D. 358, 156 N.Y.S. 214, 1915 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6008 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1915).

170 A.D. 358 (People ex rel. Brown v. Board of Supervisors) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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