College Ballots Can Sway Cambridge Election as Veterans Get Franchise

With a voting potential of 9000 ballots casting its shadow over the Cambridge electorate, veteran-swollen Harvard may well prove a decisive factor in the Cambridge City Council elections scheduled for November 4.

Registration rules, as published by the Cambridge Voting Commission, admit to the polls only those students who are U.S. citizens over the age of 21 with at least one year's residence in Massachusetts and six months in Cambridge. The period of domicile in Cambridge must date from May 4, 1947.

Politicians Quiet

Declining to comment yesterday on the effectiveness of a University contingent at the polls, Cambridge politicians could not minimize the weight of a possible 9000 politically conscious veteran students. Under the old system of voting by Wards, a medium-strong Harvard effort in Cambridge's Ward 6 could swamp the undermanned electorate of 5000.

Harvard's potential voting power is equally important under the present plan for city-wide balloting. With only 52,000 registered voters in the city of Cambridge, a large number of student votes could easily prove the balancing factor in a close race. The slight five to four majority for the proponents of Managerial Government in the Cambridge City Council indicates the respective power of opposing factions and points towards a heated struggle for governmental control.

Recently declared eligible by the Cambridge Voting Commission, qualified students must register for the vote before an October 15 deadline.

While College men living in Massachusetts will experience little difficulty in registering, transient students must conform with election regulations by declaring legal residence in the state.

According to the Tax Commissioner's Office, men declaring legal residence in Massachusetts will not be subject to stringent tax policies. Massachusetts assesses a two dollar Poll Tax on all citizens and allows residents a $2000 state income tax exemption plus an additional $500 deduction per wife.

Issues Wax Hot

In what promises to be a bitterly contested ballot, two major issues hinge on the election of nine men to the City Council. "Plan E," a system for Cambridge managerial government, is up for reaffirmation. Praised and condemned with equal vehemence by rival factions, the plan has been operating during the past two years on a slim majority in the council and must rise or fall in the coming election.

The second red-hot debate centers around Cambridge's school system. The present program came under the heavy guns of the Cambridge League of Women Voters last May when a survey by Professor Alfred D. Simpson concluded that the school system was "tolerable verging on poor." Where and When to Register DATES  HOURS  PLACES Oct. 10, 14, 15  8:30 - 4:30  Election Commission-362 Green Street just off Central Square.     Evenings Oct. 10, 14, 15  7:00 - 9:00  Same. Oct. 10  7:00 -9:00  Ward 10-Fire House, Taylor Square, junction of Huron Avenue, Garden and Sherman Streets. Oct. 10, 14  7:00 - 9:00  Ward 1-Kelley School 48 Willow St. Oct. 10, 14  7:00 - 9:00  Ward 9-Russell School, Grozier Road entrance.