DOCUMENT No. 38.

BOARD OF ALDERMEN,

DECEMBER 16, 1844.

The Special Committee, to whom was referred the resolution to inquire into the expediency of applying to the Legislature, at its next Session, to pass a law requiring the registry of votes for the City and County of New-York, presented the following Report and draft of a Law in relation thereto, which was laid on the table, and directed to be printed for the use of the members.

CHARLES A. WHITNEY, Clerk.

"Resolved, That a Special Committee of three be appointed to inquire into the expediency of applying to the Legislature, at its next Session, to pass a law requiring the registry of votes for the City and County of New-York."

The Committee to whom was referred the foregoing Resolution inr elation to a registration of voters, respectfully submit the following

REPORT:

The founders of our republic knew full well that it would be impossible for the people, individually or collectively, to transact the affairs of the government, they therefore adopted a representative system, and wisely secured to the people the right of selecting representatives to do for them in this respect, what they could not do themselves this system has been necessarily incorporated into all our subdivisions of government; and as selecting persons to administer the government, is the nearest approach we can make to a direct administration of it by ourselves, it is the most important political right we possess; it is the great distinguishing feature of our representative and republican government, and cannot be too highly appreciated, nor too safely guarded. It is, however, a lamentable fact, that notwithstanding the precautions which have been taken, and the vigilance that has been used to prevent illegal voting, it has been practised among us to a very great exBut the alarming defects of our present election system are now so universally admitted, and the great importance of a well regulated system is so fully understood, that it is entirely unnecessary to present facts or arguments in relation to either, and we proceed to state what we consider a proper remedy for the many and great evils, which are the unavoidable result of conducting elections under our present system.

tent.

Your Committee deem it impossible to prevent illegal voting to any great extent, without making a registry of the names of voters, but that should be done in such manner as to secure to every legal voter an opportunity to vote, and with as little inconvenience to the electors, and as little expense to the public as possible.

The Assessors of property elected in the respective Wards, are compelled to visit every house to assess property, and it would require but little additional time and labor to register the names of electors, to enable them to do which, the principal of each house could prepare a list of the electors belonging in his house, to be delivered to the Assessors when there to make the assessment, and if they doubted the correctness of the list presented to them, they could investigate the matter even under our present laws, which require all house-keepers to give to the Assessors "a true account of all persons boarding or lodging or being tenants in such house, and their several names, if known," and "if any person of whom such information is demanded, shall refuse to give the same, or shall willfully give erroneous account, such person shall forfeit and pay one hundred dollars." [Laws relative to City of New-York, p. 765.]

The Assessors could make a much more correct and perfect list of electors, and such as would become electors by the then next election, than could be prepared in any other way that would not be enormously expensive; and as they are required by law to proceed to make their assessments on the 5th day of May, and to complete the same by the 5th day of July, the registry would be made at a very suitable time, as the next general election, and charter election would both be holden previous to the 1st day of May, about which time the "moving" portion of the community change their places of residence. The Assessors

should meet at a suitable time and place after having made the registry, and publicly make all the necessary and proper additions, alterations, and corrections, previous to the election.

As there are but two Assessors in each Ward, and both generally belong to the same political party, a third person representing the minority should be associated with them; the propriety and justice of this provision must be apparent to all who have examined the subject, for party feeling has risen to such a height,

and the jealousy of partizans of all parties is so great, that it would be difficult to induce competent men to act as registers if they were to be all of one party; for if they discharged their duties with the utmost ability and candor, their actions would be misrepresented, their motives questioned, and their characters villified by men of opposing parties. It has therefore become a matter of necessity that the minority should be represented in the board of officers to determine who are entitled to vote; indeed this course always has been pursued in this city, and whether the majority has been great or small, propriety and public feeling has been so far regarded, and the rights of the minority so far respected, that of every three Inspectors of Election, one has been selected from the minority; this rule is judicious, safe and just, it insures the majority two of the three officers, and does not leave the minority unrepresented. It is true that there may be several parties, in which case some of them would not have a Register of their own party, but it would be very improper that the number of officers to register voters should depend upon the number of political parties in existence, for parties might be formed in such great numbers, each composed of but few persons, that the number of officers would be increased to such extent that it would be impossible for them, with all their diversified opinions, feelings, and temperaments, to perform their duties properly; besides the Board of Inspectors being composed of persons of the two most numerous and contending parties, has always satisfied the smaller parties that they had no cause to fear that there would be improper conduct on the part of the Inspectors, and the same security would be felt in having a Board of Registers constituted in the same manner. This arrangement might prove beneficial in other respect: it might enable the Assessors to make out a more complete jury list, and might produce a more equal assessment roll.

The details of a system based upon the views contained in the preceding remarks, are herewith submitted in the form of a bill,