[131a-028]

[copyist’s hand]

1818 Dec r 20

Ballot

2

The electing by Ballot has long prevailed in New York, and still continues.

By the constitution of Pennsylvania, it is declared, (2d. Sect. 3d. Act) “That all elections shall be by ballot, except those by persons in their Representative capacities, who shall vote viva voce”. This is the very reverse of Maryland, where the Electors are appointed viva voce and afterwards in their Representative Capacities vote by ballot. The most prevailing mode of electing, viz, by ballot, is believed to be the safest; the fear of giving offence to powerful individuals, to relations, friends, and even to distant acquaintances, frequently induces the giving a vote, viva voce, which, by ballot, would be given for a more worthy object. Voting by ballot removes all restraint, and leaves the voter perfectly at liberty to follow the dictates of his own conscience and judgment. The argument in favour of the other mode is, that it creates a greater responsibility, and lays the voter under the necessity of voting for men of approved worth and merit; he would be ashamed, it is said, of publicly bestowing his vote, for personal friendship or any improper influence, on a worthless object: but this reason has been found by fatal experience to be more plausible and solid: Mankind, when determined to do wrong, too readily find arguments to justify themselves in their own eyes. Besides, it frequently happens, previous to an election, that clamors are unjustly excited, and rumors wickedly circulated against one of the Candidates, who, though not the most popular character at the time, is the most honest and able man. The friends of his adversary will propagate, with unbounded zeal, every thing they can to his disadvantage: this, for a while, will create a certain prejudice, which time, reflection, and better information would remove. Under these circumstances, may well-meaning voters, if they voted viva voce, would be restrained by timidity from voting for this seemingly unpopular-candidate, though at the same time they might be satisfied, in their own minds, that he was the most deserving of their suffrages: they would either stay at home, or vote for the favourite of the moment, whom they despised. In all popular governments, some idle men of the worst characters, and with the worst views, calling themselves “the people”, will, at particular junctures, set up a loud clamour. Peaceable men, who remain mush at home, attending to their business, are alarmed, ignorant either of the source or extent of this clamour, and often suppose both to be more important, and of much greater magnitude, than they are afterwards discovered to be:– Were they to vote openly, under these circumstances, few would have nerves enough to resist the popular current: for their personal safety, they would be compelled to sacrifice those opinions, by which, in a ballot election, they would honestly abide.