CHAPTER V.

THE VOTE CAST AND REGISTERED IN 1891. The election of 1891 was no exception to the general rule that thousands of persons inscribed their names upon the books of the board of registry, or had their names put upon those books in rural neighborhoods upon the first day of registration, and yet neglected to vote. This was especially the case in rural parts of the State. This registration roll, however, will prove of high value to politicians, and especially so in rural neighborhoods, as showing the probable number of voters in each election district, and giving the names of all voters. In cities the requirement of the registration law that each voter shall personally appear and register undoubtedly, in 1891, kept off the registration books the names of a large number of voters living in each city election district. But in rural districts the committeemen of the political parties took pains to place upon the registration books the names of all voters with whose names they were familiar and the result was that in a large proportion of the election districts in the rural neighborhoods the books of registration were made an almost complete roll of the voters of each election district. The value of this roll to political committees in the canvassing for votes, in the circulation of political documents and newspapers, and in preparing the registration roll of the present year 1892, can not be overestimated.

A comparison of the total vote registered in each rural election district, with the total vote polled in 1891, will also enable political leaders and candidates for office to determine the relative proportion of their party vote they must bring out in each one of such election districts in order to secure party success. With the aim of giving persons interested in the subject an opportunity to make this comparison, the author of this pamphlet has included in it the vote of the State registered and cast at the general election

of 1891 by election district. A few, illustrations will show the value of this comparison. Below will be found the vote of various towns in various counties for President in 1888 and for Governor in 1891, with the total vote registered in those towns in 1891 :

Whole number of votes cast.

.

The total vote by counties and the total vote registered, of course, shows more glaringly the number of voters who, although registered, did not vote at the fall election of 1891. The table given below shows the total vote by counties and the total vote registered in 1891:

Whole number

of votes

registered. Albany ..:.

40,683

35,850 Allegany..

12,872 9,780 Broome...

15,970 13,828 Cattaraugus..

17,026

13,055 Cayuga.

17,190

13,870 Chautauqua.

20,454

16,285 Chemung

13,069 11,303 Chenango..

11,902 9,379 Clinton ..

11,502 8,613 Columbia .

12,925 10,703 Cortland.

9,092 7,361 Delaware

13,664

10,950 Dutchess

20,716 17,624 Erie....

68,617 58,832 Essex

8,881 6,429

Wayne ..
Westchester..
Wyoming
Yates....

Whole number

of votes
registered.

14,368
38,101
9,140
6,567

Whole number of votes cast.

10,992 25,631 6,878 5,115

The registered vote of New York city yearly, of course, receives the closest attention from politicians and voters as day after day it is registered upon the days of registration. Below is the record of registration in New York city upon these four days the four past years :

The total registered vote in each one of the twenty-four Assembly districts possessed by New York city in 1888, 1889, 1890 and 1891, for those years, was as follows: