I registered in Southampton county in 1956, just released from the Marine Corps, and had no knowledge of the procedure. The registrar gave me a sheet of paper which asked for the names of the governor, the two senators and the district Representative. There was one or two general questions which I don't recall specifically, but basic, e.g., the author of the Declaration of Independence. I thought then and continue to believe that some knowledge is required to cast a ballot. Richard E. Dixon Clifton, VA 20124-2115 > [Original Message] > From: John Hopewell <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Date: 4/8/2003 2:09:27 PM > Subject: Re: (voting registration) > > It wasn't just the late 1950s, but some years afterward. When I registered > to vote in my hometown (Gloucester, VA) in the summer of 1960, I was faced > with a blank sheet of paper. However, the local chapter of the NAACP had > circulated numerous copies of the information required, and so ironically > this white, brand-new college graduate relied on that cheat-sheet to > register. Legally the registrar was not supposed to assist anyone, but he > was a neighbor who lived up the street, and he produced a copy for me so > that I could register to vote. I don't know whether the VA General Assembly > ever repealed that law, or whether the federal Voting Rights Act trumped it. > I suspect it was the latter. > > John Hopewell > > -----Original Message----- > From: James Hershman [mailto:[log in to unmask]] > Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2003 2:46 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: (voting registration) > > Probably a publication of Luther Porter Jackson who was engaged in > registration efforts in the late 1940s. It really got tough for a short > period in the late 1950s when the General Assembly passed the "blank > sheet" registration law. Not only did the person registering have to > know the answer--they had to know the questions! > > Jim Hershman > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html