Section 17-8-4

Printing and design.

All ballots shall be printed in black ink on clear book paper, and every such ballot printed in accordance with the provisions of this chapter shall contain a party device for each political party represented on the ticket. The arrangement of the ballot shall in general conform substantially to the plan hereinafter given, and in all cases the party columns must be placed in alphabetical order, beginning on the left of the ballot. The list of candidates of the several parties shall be printed in parallel and perpendicular columns, each column to be headed by the chosen device of such party and the party name or other designation in such order as the Secretary of State may direct. The number of columns shall exceed by one the number of separate tickets of candidates to be voted for at the polling place for which the ballot is provided, and in the appropriate place the words vote for one (or two or other number, as the case may be) to indicate the number which may be elected to each office. On the right of each ballot shall be a column in which shall be printed only the titles of the office for which candidates may be voted for by the electors at the polling places for which the ballot is printed. Said column is designated as "blank column," and in such column the voting spaces shall be omitted, but in all other respects such blank column shall be a duplicate of the political party columns upon such ballot.

(Code 1896, §1611; Code 1907, §379; Code 1923, §469; Code 1940, T. 17, §154.)