In reading recently several depositions of a contested election in 1878, I stumbled across the "Instructions for Managers", included in the file. I found it interesting. I hope you will, too. The contest was in the Second Congressional District of South Carolina, U.S. House of Representatives. The contestants were Michael Patrick O'Connor and Edward William McGregor Mackey.
Each manager of election must take and subscribe, before any officer authorized to administer an oath, the oath of office provided by the constitution, and send the same to the commissioners of election, to be filed in the office of the clerk of the court.
1. At their first meeting, the managers should organize themselves into a board by appointing one of their number chairman. The chairman should administer the necessary oaths in the course of the election.
2. The managers must then appoint a clerk, who must take the oath provided by the constitution before the chairman of the board.
3. The polls must be opened at 6 o'clock a.m., and closed at 6 p.m.; and must be kept open, without intermission or adjournment, during these hours.
4. At the opening of the poll the box must be publicly opened and inspected, to see that it is empty and secure, then locked, the key returned to the managers, and not again opened during the election.
5. The managers must administer to each person offering to vote an oath that he is qualified to vote a this election according to the constitution of this State, and that he has not voted during this election.
6. The voting must be by ballot, which must contain written or printed, or partly written and partly printed, the names of the persons voted for, and the offices to which such persons are intended to be chosen, and must be so folded as to conceal the contents.
7. The clerk of the poll must keep a poll-list, upon which must be entered the name of every elector voting at the election.
Now for me, this is when it gets really interesting!
8. At the close of the election the managers and clerk must immediately proceed, publicly, to open the ballot-box and count the ballots therein; and continue such count, without adjournment or interruption, until the same is completed. If, in counting, two or more lke ballots should be found folded together compactly, only one shall by counted, and the others destroyed; but if they bear different names, the same must be destroyed and not counted. If more ballots are found, on opening the box, than there are names on the poll-list, all the ballots must be returned to the box and thoroughly mixed together, and one of the managers, or the clerk, must without seeing the ballots, draw therefrom and immediately destroy as many ballots as there are in excess of the number of names on the poll-list.
9. After counting the votes, the managers and clerk must make and sign a statement of the result of the election. Within three days after the election, the chairman of the board, or one of the managers designated in writing by the board, must deliver to the commissioners of election their written statement of the result of the election, the poll-lists, and the boxes containing the ballots, properly sealed and secured. The managers must, in addition to the statement of the result of the election, make and sign separate returns of the number of votes cast for governor and lieutenant-governor, in duplicate, and seal up the same, and deliver them to the commissioners of election, to be transmitted to teh secretary of state, and filed with the clerk of the court.
This is an interesting case that tells a lot about our country, campaigns, elections and politicians. Rather than ending it here, I'll periodically post more from MACKEY VS. CONNOR, as my schedule permits.
Thanks for reading.