Weekly Trinity journal., 1865-09-02
ELECTION LAWS.
Extracts from Act to Regulate Elections

OF QUALIFICATIONS AmLIrIEs ELECTORS.
! SEC. 10. Every white male citizen of the United
States, and every white male citizen of Mexico
who shall have been elected to become a citizen
of the United States under the treaty of peace
exchanged and ratified at Queretaro, on the 30th
of May, l84S, of the age of twenty-one years,
who shall have been resident of the State six
months next preceding the election, and the
county or district which he claims his vote thirty
days, shall be entitled to vote at all elections
which are now hereafter may be authorized
by law.
SEC. IL. For the purpose of voting, no person
shall be deemed to have gained or lost residence
by reason of his presence absence in the SER
vice of the United States nor while engaged in
the navigation of the waters of this State or the
United States or of the high seas ; nor while a
student of any seminary of learning while
kept at an alms-house or other asylum, nor while
confined in any public prison.
Sec. II. No idiot or insane person, or persons
convicted OF any infamous crime shall be entitled
to the privileges of an elector.
SEC - crime shall be deemed infamous
which is punishable by death or by Imprisonment
in the State Prison.
PLACE HOLDING ELECTIONS, ANn ALSO OF INSPECTORS
JUDGES. AND CLERKS OF ELECTION
SEC IL 1t shall be the duty of each Inspector
to be at the place where the polls are to be opened
eight in the morning until sunset on the day of
the election. Should such Inspector not appear
at eight o'clock in the morning, the electors
present at the place where the polls are to be
opened may apponta an Inspector for the precinct.
Sec. ls. The Board of Inspectors for each
precinct shall, before the time of opening the
polls appoint two suitable persons to act as
Clerks.
SEC 10. Before any election shall be opened,
the Inspector Judges and Clerks shall each, be-
fore any officer authorized to administer oaths,
take an oath that he will faithfully and impair
TALLY discharge the duties assigned him by law.
If there is no person present authorized to adj
minister oaths, the Inspector shall then admins
ter the same to the Judges and Clerks, and one
of the Judges shall then administer the oath to
the Inspector
SEC. 20. The Inspector shall be Chairman of
the Board, and after its organization shall have
power to administer all necessary oaths, which
may be required in the progress of the election.
He shall also have power to fill any vacancy that
may occur in the Board of Judges, or by absence
or by refusal to serve of either of the Clerks,
after the polls have been opened.
OF VOTING AND CHALLENGING.
SEc.22 At all elections the polls shall be
opened at eight o'clock in the morning, and shall
continue open until sunset, at which time the
Judges shall close the polls prorided, that the
hour at any time they may think proper during
/ the day before three o clock in the afternoon.
SEC 23 The Board of Judges, before they
commence receiving ballots, shall cause it to be
proclaimed aloud at the place of voting that the
| polls are open.
| SEC. %. Whenever any person offers to vote
the Inspector shall pronounce his name in an
audible voice. and if there be no objection to the
qualification of such person as an elector, shall
receive his ballot, and in the presence of the
other Judges put the same without being opened
or examined, into the ballot-box
SEC. &c. The name of each elector whose bal
| lot has thus been received, shall be Immediately
entered by each Clerk in the column of his poll
| list, headed :. names of voters, numbering each
name in the additional column, as it is taken
down, so that it may be seen at any time whether
the two lists agree.
SEC 81 ANY person offering to vote may be
challenged as unqualified by the Inspector or
either of the Judges, any legal voter and it
shall. in all cases, be the duty of the Inspector
and each of the Judges to challenge any person
offering to vote whom he shall know or suspect
not to be qualified an elector.
SEC 2S When any person offering to vote is
challenged, it shall be the duty of the Board OF
Judges to declare to him the qualifications of an
elector.
Sec. 30. If such person shall insist that he is
entitled to vote, and the challenge shall not be
withdrawn, he shall not be entitled to vote un-
less he take the following OATH to be administer
ed by the Inspector one of the Judges, viz
q You do swear (or affirm, as the case may be J,
that YOU are citizen Of the United States that
YOU are of the age of twenty-one years, accord
ing to the best of your knowledge and belief
that YOU have resided in the State six months
next preceding this election, and that you have
not voted this day
! Upon taking which OATH he shall be entitled
to vote for all State officers and if he offer to
vote for any district, county or township officer
he shall in addition thereto, make oath that he
has resided in such district. county or township.
| las the case may be-, thirty days.
| SEC 81. If the vote of any person be chal-
lenged on the ground that he has been convicted
of an infamous crime, or disfranchised by anv
Court of competent jurisdiction, he shall not be
required 10 answer any questions respecting such
alleged conviction: and in the absence of any
authenticated record Of such facts, it may be
competent for two disinterested witnesses upon
oath to prove the same.
SEC. 80 When the polls are closed, proclama-
ton thereof shall be made at the place of voting.
and no votes shall be afterwards received
OF COUNTING AND VOTE AIRING THE RESULT
OF ELECTION, OF CERTIFICATES ELECTION.
SEC 33. As soon as the polls are closed on the
afternoon of the day of election, the Judges
shall open the ballot-box and commence counting
the votes, and in no case shall the ballot-box be
removed from the room in which the election
NAV be held until all the ballots are counted
the counting of the ballots shall in all cases be
made public.