Miscellaneous Provisions.

1896, ch. 202, sec. 111.

117. All oaths required by this article to be in writing shall have a certificate of the officer making the same attached and signed by him, and said supervisors of elections, officers of registration and judges of election are hereby empowered to administer all oaths and affirmations required in the discharge of the duties of their respective offices.

Ibid. sec. 112.

118. The word "election" as used in this article shall be construed to include elections had within any county or city for the purpose of enabling voters to choose some public officer or officers under the laws of this State or of the United States, or to pass upon any amendment, law or other public act or proposition submitted to vote by law. The word "precinct" as used in this article shall be construed to mean an election district in a county or an election precinct in such district, or in a ward of the city of Baltimore, as the case may be. In computing the times for notices to be given under this article Sundays shall be included, except when the day on which said notice should be given should happen to fall on Sunday, in which event the same shall be given on the Monday following; the day of giving the notice and the day of registration or election shall be excluded.

Ibid sec. 113.

119. In all trials for offenses against any of the provisions of this article, or of any existing law relating to registration or elections where such offenses are punishable by imprisonment in the penitentiary, the State and defense shall each be entitled to twenty peremptory challenges of jurors.

Ibid. sec. 114.

120. It shall be the duty of the attorney-general within three months after the adoption of this article to prepare instructions and blank forms necessary for the use of the officers of registration and of election created by this article ; and this article, with said forms and instructions so prepared, and with other provisions of the constitution and laws touching the same matters, and with a proper index thereto, shall be published by the secretary of State and shall be distributed by him to the supervisors of elections in quantities sufficient

to supply the judges of election and other officers requiring the same. The expenses of printing shall be paid from the treasury of the State and the sum of one thousand dollars per annum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any funds in the treasury for such printing and for the employment of any necessary clerical help in preparing and attending to election business by this article. assigned to the office of the attorney-general and that of the secretary of State. A price shall be fixed by the secretary of State at which copies may be furnished to purchasers.

1896, ch. 202, sec. 114 A. 1901, ch. 2. 1904. ch. 339.

121. At least thirty days before every State election the attorney-general shall prepare full instructions for the guidance of the voters at such election as to obtaining ballots, as to the manner of marking them, and as to obtaining new ballots in place of those accidentally destroyed, with such other instructions as shall in his opinion be necessary and proper. Said instructions shall be furnished by the secretary of State to the several boards of supervisors of elections, who shall respectively cause the same, together with copies of sections 66, 67 and 68 of this article to be printed in large, clear type, on separate cards, to be called "Cards of Instruction," and said boards of supervisors shall furnish twelve of the same with ballots for use in each election precinct. They shall also cause to be printed on light cardboard, or heavy-sized paper, ten or more copies of the form of the ballot provided for each voting place at each election therein, of a considerably magnified size, which shall be called "Specimen Ballots," and the same shall be furnished with the other ballots prepared for each voting place. On the morning of said election the said supervisors of elections shall cause to be conspicuously posted in each polling place said cards of instruction and largely magnified specimen ballots, and one of said cards of instruction shall be fixed in each booth or voting compartment, and the said specimen ballots shall be conspicuously displayed in said polling room and on the outside of the building wherein said voting shall take place. Not less than three of said cards and three of said specimen ballots shall be posted outside of the guard-rails, and not less than three of each of same shall be securely and conspicuously posted on the outside of the building in which the polls are held, before the balloting begins, in such position that the same may be easily examined by the public. This section shall apply to Baltimore city, Baltimore, Dorchester, Queen

Anne's, Wicomico, Carroll, Washington, Allegany, Cecil, Montgomery, Howard, Caroline and Harford counties.

1896, ch. 202, sec. 114 A. 1901, ch. 2. 1904, ch. 339, sec. 114 A.

122. At least thirty days before every State election the attorney-general shall prepare full instructions for the guidance of the voters of such election, as to obtaining ballots, as to the manner of marking them, and as to obtaining new ballots in place of those accidentally destroyed, with such other instructions as shall, in his opinion, be necessary and proper. Said instructions shall be furnished by the secretary of State to the several boards of supervisors of elections, who shall respectively cause the same, together with copies of sections 66, 67 and 68 of this article, to be printed in large, clear type, on separate cards, to be called "Cards of Instruction," and said board of supervisors shall furnish twelve of the same, with ballots for use in each election precinct. They shall also cause to be printed, on light cardboard or heavy-sized paper, ten or more copies of the form of the ballot provided for each voting place, at each election therein, of a considerably magnified size, which shall be called "Specimen Ballots," and the same shall be furnished with the other ballots prepared for each voting place. On the morning of said election the said supervisors of elections shall cause to be conspicuously posted in each polling place said cards of instruction and largely magnified specimen ballots, and one of said cards of instruction shall be fixed in each booth or voting compartment, and the said specimen ballots shall be conspicuously displayed in said polling room and on the outside of the building wherein said voting shall take place. Not less than three of said cards and three of said specimen ballots shall be posted outside of the guard rails, and not less than three of each of same shall be securely and conspicuously posted on the outside of the building in which the polls are held, before the balloting begins, in such position that the same may be easily examined by the public. It shall also be the duty of the several boards of supervisors of elections, on the morning of said election, to cause to be conspicuously posted in such polling place, and in each voting booth of each polling place, separate tickets or lists containing the names of the candidates of each political party, with a designation of the several offices for which they are candidates, so that voters may thereby be aided in selecting the candidates for whom they wish to vote, and in marking the official ballots accordingly. This section shall apply to Worcester,

Somerset, Talbot, Kent, Frederick, Garrett, Prince George's, Charles, St. Mary's, Calvert and Anne Arundel counties.

1896, ch. 202, sec. 114 B.

123. The boards of supervisors of elections for the several counties shall have power to employ an attorney, who shall also be the attorney for the judges of election, whether acting as such or as registration officers, to receive such compensation as shall be allowed by the county commissioners upon the approval of the circuit court. In the city of Baltimore the board of supervisors of elections shall biennially appoint some practising member of the bar of Baltimore city to act as general counsel for the said board and for the officers of registration and judges of election appointed by them, in all matters and proceedings pertaining to their duties, and to appear for and defend the said judges of election at the hearing of all petitions which may be filed against them as officers of registration. under the provisions of this article. For his services such counsel shall receive an annual salary of twelve hundred dollars, to be paid in equal quarterly instalments by the mayor and city council of Baltimore. He may be removed and other counsel may be appointed in his place at the discretion of said board, and whenever petitions filed against officers of registration and pending before more than one of the judges of the supreme bench of Baltimore city at the same time, he may appoint, with the approval of the board of supervisors, as many additional counsel as may be necessary to assist him in trying said petitions, who shall each be paid such sum, not exceeding one hundred and fifty dollars in any one year, as he shall certify, with the approval of the board of supervisors, to be a reasonable and proper compensation for their respective services; provided, that the whole number of counsel retained at any one time, including himself, shall in no case exceed the number of judges then engaged in hearing such petitions.

Ibid. sec. 117. 1904, ch. 254.

124. The boundaries of the election districts of the counties and of the wards of Baltimore city shall remain as now established by law, but before the first general registration held under this article, and before every subsequent general registration, or whenever in the judgment of the board of supervisors of elections of Baltimore city it shall be deemed expedient, it shall be the duty of said board to divide and establish precincts in the said wards, as in the judgment of said board shall best

promote the convenience of voters; provided, that no precinct upon the basis of the registry of voters in use at the election in the next year preceding that in which such precincts are divided and established shall contain over four hundred and fifty registered voters in the city. In dividing and establishing precincts in the city of Baltimore, the new precincts shall conform to the boundaries of the legislative and congressional districts established by law. The precincts of each ward shall be numbered from one upward, consecutively. The boundaries of said precincts shall be made known by advertising in one or more newspapers in said city once a week for two successive weeks before the first day of July in each year in which such division is made. Such additional books of registry and such copies. of the original books of registry of the year 1903, as are provided by the said board of supervisors of elections under the provisions of this section, and the original books of registry of Baltimore city for the year 1903, shall be used at the general elections to be held in the city of Baltimore in said years 1904 and 1905.

1901, ch. 10, sec. 117 A.

125. As soon after the passage of the act of 1901, chapter 10, viz., April 1, 1901, as shall be reasonably practicable, it shall be the duty of the boards of supervisors of elections of the several counties to examine the boundaries of the several election districts and election precincts in their respective counties, and whenever, in their judgment and discretion, it shall be expedient for the convenience of the voters to subdivide any of said election districts or election precincts having a number of voters in excess of six hundred, they are hereby empowered and authorized to make such subdivisions, and to establish the boundaries of such subdivisions in such way as to facilitate and expedite the casting of their ballots by the voters thereof, either by a designation of an entirely new and different polling place, or by providing for two separate polling places at or near the former polling place. Whenever, in the exercise of the discretion conferred upon the several boards of supervisors of elections by this section, they shall subdivide any election district or election precinct, they shall appoint officers of registration and judges and clerks of election therefor, as in this article provided, who shall have all the powers, perform all the duties, be subject to all the responsibilities and be liable to all the penalties prescribed in this article for officers of registration, judges and clerks of election. All the members of the boards of