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Chapter 202, Acts of 1896.

In each year the Board of Supervisors of Elections in the city of Baltimore shall select before the first day of July four judges of election; and before the fifteenth day of September two clerks for each election precinct in said city taking two of such judges and one of such clerks from each of the two leading political parties of the State. The Boards of Supervis-` ors in the several counties, in each year in which an election in November is to be held in their respective counties, shall select, before the first day of July, two judges of election, and, before the fifteenth day of September, two more judges of election and two clerks for each election district in their respective counties or, where a district is divided into voting precincts, for each voting precinct in such district taking one of such judges and one of such clerks in making each such selection, and for each such voting precinct or district from each of the two leading political parties of the State, so that such parties shall be equally represented at all times among said election officers. It shall not be necessary to appoint new or special judges or clerks of election for any election not held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November whether general, special, local or municipal, and whether such election he held in the whole State or in any county or part thereof; but the judges and clerks appointed under this Article for the preceding November election shall discharge the duties of said judges and clerks of election, respectively, within their several precincts or districts wherein such election shall be held. Each judge and each clerk must be a legal voter residing in the precinct or district, as the case may be, for which he is selected, a man of good capacity and character, able to speak, read and write the English language, and skilled in the four fundamental rules of arithmetic, not holding any other public office or employment, and not a candidate for any office at the next election; provided, that in the city of Baltimore whenever all three supervisors shall file in their office a sworn statement in writing that suitable persons cannot, in their judgment be secured in any par ticular precinct for some of the offices to be filled, such offices may in such case be filled by persons otherwise qualified residing in another precinct of the same ward.

Chapter 202, Acts of 1896.

8. Each supervisor shall have a veto upon the proposed selection or nomination of any judge or clerk; and if in any case, in consequence of such veto, the Board of Supervisors cannot agree upon an appointment, then the supervisor or supervisors belonging to the political party entitled to be rep

resented by the judge or clerk in question shall name three men who are eligible, and from these the other supervisor or supervisors shall select such judge or clerk.

Chapter 202, Acts of 1896.

9. Each person selected as judge or clerk by the Board of Supervisors shall be promptly notified of the fact of his selection, with directions to appear within the time fixed in the notice before the board for the purpose of examination; and if, upon examination, he is found qualified, he shall, unless excused by the supervisors for good cause, be appointed by the supervisors and shall be bound to serve as such officer for the term of one year. The supervisors shall keep books in which shall be written down the names of all the judges and clerks so appointed, the date and manner of notice to them to appear, and whether or not they appear, and, if appearing, whether they were appointed, rejected or excused, and if rejected or excused, the reasons therefor. No person shall be compelled to serve as judge or clerk for one year after the expiration of his term of service, and all persons so serving shall be exempt from jury duty during the term of their service and for one year thereafter. Any person so selected and notified to appear for examination who shall not appear before the board as required, or shall refuse to serve, shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than three hundred dollars, unless it shall appear that he was not qualified for such service by reason of ill health, infirmity or old age. It shall be the duty of the supervisors to notify the State's Attorney of the county or city of Baltimore of the failure, refusal or neglect of any person, and to require the State's Attorney to institute proceedings for such penalty at the next term of Court. The State's Attorney shall receive a fee of fifty dollars for every penalty recovered by him, to be paid out of the sum actually recovered, whether the proceedings for the recovery of such penalty shall be instituted of his own motion or at the instance of said supervisors.

Chapter 195, Acts of 1922.

10. The judges and clerks appointed by the Board of Supervisors of Elections for the several counties of the State shall not be required to appear before the said Board of Supervisors of Election for the purpose of examination as required by Section 9 of this Article, but the said Boards of Supervisors of Election for the several counties, before making appointments of any such judges or clerks, shall thoroughly inform themselves as to the qualifications of the parties appointed, and shall not require their attendance before the said board for

such examination, and they shall appoint only such persons as are known to them to possess the proper qualifications for the position to which they are severally appointed, and the said persons shall be sworn in as provided in Section 11 of this Article, and shall file with said Board of Supervisors a certificate of qualification.

Chapter 195, Acts of 1922.

11. After the judges and clerks are appointed, the Board of Supervisors shall immediately and before the first day of August in each year, give notice of the names of all such judges, and shall, before the first day of October, give notice of the names of all such clerks, and in every case the residence and the precincts for which they are selected, by causing the same in the several counties to be published once a week for two successive weeks in two or more newspapers in each county except in Howard County, where the Supervisors of Elections may publish the same in one newspaper, one of which papers, if possible, shall be of opposite political faith from that of a majority of such supervisors; and if no newspapers be published in such county, then by posting such notice in three of the most public places in such county; and in Baltimore City, to be published once in all the daily newspapers in said city which shall be willing to publish the same at their current rates for advertising; said board, in appointing judges and clerks, and in the notice thereof, shall designate the persons intended by them to represent the political parties respectively. It shall be the duty of the said board to examine promptly into any complaints which may be preferred to them in writing against the fitness or qualifications of any person so appointed judge or clerk, and to remove any such judge or clerk when upon inquiring they shall find to be unfit or incapable. The board shall forthwith appoint persons in the manner hereinbefore prescribed to fill all vacancies in the office of judge or clerk, and shall immediately make public the names of such persons so appointed by advertisement as nearly as may be, as hereinbefore provided for the original appointments. The record of appointments to fill vacancies shall be kept in the books as hereinbefore prescribed in Section 9, which books, with the recommendation and protests made to them, and all their other records and papers shall always be open to the inspection of the public. After notice as aforesaid of their appointments, the judges and clerks shall again be notified to appear at the office of said board, and shall then and there, after taking the oath of office before one of said supervisors receive their commissions. The oath of office shall be in writing and subscribed by each one in a book to be kept for the

purpose by the supervisors, and shall be in substance as follows: Residing at in the city (or county) of .

........

precinct of the district of ........ county),

in the State of Maryland, do solemnly swear, (or affirm) that I am a legal voter in the ward of the city (or in the said State, that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the State of Maryland and support the Constitution and laws thereof, and that I will faithfully and honestly discharge the duties of an officer of registration and judge of election (or clerk of election) for the precinct of the ward of the city (or district) of ..... county, in the State of Maryland, according to the best of my ability, and I do further swear (or affirm) that I will not attempt to ascertain, save in cases and in the manner on which I am authorized by law so to do, for what candidate or candidates any person shall vote or has voted on any question which may be or may have been submitted to the vote of the people, and if such knowledge shall be acquired by me, I will not, directly, or indirectly, by word or act, divulge or reveal the same or aid in doing so, save when I am required to do so by law in some legal proceedings. Provided, however, that in the several counties, it shall be the duty of the Board of Supervisors to designate one of the judges so appointed for each election district or precinct as the chief judge of election and to notify him to appear at the office of said board to take the oath of office before one of said supervisors and to receive his commission. The said chief judge shall administer the oath of office in form and substance as above prescribed, to the other judges and clerks of election at the registration and polling place and give them their commissions before entering upon their respective offices. No fees or extra compensation shall be charged by or allowed the said chief judge for administering said oaths. Blank forms for the oath to be administered by said chief judge shall be furnished by the supervisors, which forms shall be preserved and returned to the said supervisors in the same manner as provided in Section 63 of this Article in the case of substitute judges or clerks.

Chapter 202, Acts of 1896.

12. It shall be the duty of said Board of Supervisors to appoint the place of registration and also the polling place in each precinct of their county or city and to cause the same to be fitted up, warmed, lighted and cleaned. The places for registration and polling shall in all cases be upon the ground floor of a building, the entrance to which is from the highway or from a public street at least forty feet wide if in the

city of Baltimore and at least twenty-five feet wide if in the counties, in a room facing on said street or highway and shall be as near the centre of the voting population of the precinct and as convenient to the greatest number of voters as is practicable, and in no case shall a registration or election be held in any building, or part of the building, used or occupied as a saloon, dram-shop, pool-room, billiard hall or bowling alley, or communicating therewith by doors or hallways. If no suitable place is found the supervisors shall provide one.

Chapter 357, Acts of 1922.

12A. It shall be the duty of the Board of Supervisors of Elections of the City of Baltimore and of the several counties, to use, wherever possible and practicable, public buildings, such as school houses, fire engine houses, etc., for the registration and polling places. It shall be the duty of all public officials who have charge of such buildings to place them or any of them at the disposal of said Boards of Supervisors of Elections on the days of registration and elections when application is made by the said Supervisors of Elections for any of the above mentioned public buildings.

Chapter 202, Acts of 1896.

13. It shall be the duty of the person or officer having charge of the vital statistics of any city or county to furnish the Board of Supervisors of Elections monthly a report of the name and previous residence of every male person over twenty-one years of age who shall have died during the preceding month, and said board shall, immediately before the registration or revision thereof in each year, cause to be arranged alphabetically, and as near as possible according to wards in the cities and according to election precincts in the counties, the names and late residences of all such deceased persons and have the same printed and furnish a copy of said printed list to each member of the Board of Registry of such wards or precincts for their guidance.

Chapter 719, Acts of 1914.

14. Said Board of Supervisors shall give ten days' notice of the time and place of registration, and of revision thereof, and of elections in each precinct of such county or city, by handbills set up in the most public places in such precinct, and also in the counties, by advertisements in two newspapers (one of which newspapers, if possible, shall be of opposite political faith from that of the majority of said

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