Polling Day To-morrow In the United States Presidential Ejections

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26917, 1 November 1948, Page 5

Polling Day To-morrow In the United States Presidential Ejections

On November 2—“ the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November,” as prescribed by American law —electors will cast their ballots for: (1) The President of the United States; (2) The VicePresident; (3) Governors of 30 States and various local officials; (4) All 435 members of the Federal House of Representatives; and (5) Onethird of the 96 members of the United States Senate. The Presidential candidates include Mr Truman, Mr Dewey, Mr Wallace, and Mr J. Strom Thurmond, States’ Rights Democrat Party, and now Governor of South Carolina. The Vice-Presidential candidates are Mr Alben W. Barkley (Democrat), now a Senator, from Kentucky; Mr Earl Warren (Republican), now Governor of California; Mr Glen Taylor (Progressive), now a Senator, from Idaho; and Mr Fielding L. Wright (States’ Rights Democrat), now Governor of Mississippi.

The Vice-Presidency is determined automatically by the Presidential vote. Actually each party’s candidate for President and Vice-President are linked together on the balloting ticket. The platforms of the contesting parties were determined at their conventions in July. Those of the Democratic and Republican Parties—it is conceded even by the minor parties themselves that the election struggle will be between these two parties—differ sharply on some issues, yet on

others, such as foreign policy and Communism, they are rouahly parallel. Voting is voluntary. Although about 90,000 000 Americans would constitutionally be entitled to vote, generally only about 40.000.000 to 50.000,000 show up at the polls. This is accounted for partly by the fact that in some Southern States, which are virtually oneparty, the only serious contest is for the Democratic Party nomination, the election itself becomes a formality, with only a small poll necessary to ensure a Democratic victory.