The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-02-28
THE REGISTRATION LAW.
As It Finally Passed tie Legislature
An Act to Regulate the Registra-
"a ton of-Voters.k,la
Passed February eo, 1see.


Passed February 20, 1866.
Be it enacted by the Legislature oJ
Vest Yir1iuia:
/. There ishall be appointed by the
Governor, from among the citizens most
known for loyalty, frmness and ups
rightness, three persons for each coun-
ty residing therein, who shall be styled
board slInll proceedito appoint one 10y
al and upright person, to be styled the
Registrar, for each ward of the cities
and incorporate towns, and each town
ship or district of such county. The
Registrar shall register the white male
citizens in his! ward, township or dis
trict, entitled to vote therein according
to the provisions ofthis act, in the man
ner hereinafter provided; and the mem-
bers of the said board, and the regis
trars, shall each, before entering upon
the discharge of his duties, take the
proper5oath OF office, passed November
sixteenth, one thousand eight hundred
and sixty-three, which oath sworn to
as aforesaid, shall be subscribed by the
party and returned to, and filed by, the
recorder of the county. Each member
of the said board, and each registrar,
shall receive two dollars for each day
occupied and required in discharging
the duties of his Office. Any vacancy
in the county board or in the Office OF
registrar shall be filled as hereinafter
provided, any two of said board having
power to act and perform all the duties
and functions of their office
2. The Governor shall cause to be
prepared stiitablei books for the regis
tration of the names of voters and facts
required by this act, to be furnished to
the county board of registration and by
t11 70 In tof n
their respective wards, townships or
districts. The books aforesaid shall be
arranged as to admit OF. the alpha-
betical classification of the names OF
voters, ,and ruled in parallel columns,
on which shall be entered: First, the
name of the person registered; second,
sworn; Hiird, age; fourth, the place OF
in the ward, township or district; Sirth,
time of residence, in the State; SeUenth,
if nataraliZed, the date OF the papers,
and the court by which issued.
8, Before any registrar shall register
the name of any person as qualified
voter, sexceptns hereinafter provided,
he shall be satisfied of Observation-Disclosures
us heretofore provided by law, and il
he has any doubt MS TO- such persons
LOYALTY, he shall administer the follow
ing aflidayit: = ,1Eei.' coi,nt1 r,,,,,,4 70
wit: 1, A. B., do soIennly swear that L
have not since the first day of June,
eighteen hundred and st&ty-one, vol
untarilyBborne arms against the United
States, the reorganized government OF
Virginia or the State Of iWest!Virginia;
that have not voluntarily given aid,
comfort or assistance To persons len-
gagged in armed hostility againsttheU Uni
ted States, the reorgapized Government
ofVirginia or the State of West Virginia;
that have not sought, accepted, exer-
cised or attempted to exercise any once
or appointment whatever, under any
authority or pretended authority hos
tile'of inimical to- the United States, the
reorCa nized government of Ftrginia'or
the State of West Virginia; that will
support the Constitution OF me gnlted
States and the constitution OF this state;
aud that I take this oath freely without
auy mental reservation or purpose of
evasion" Such affidavit shall be sub
scribed by the party and sworn to be-
fore the registrar, and returned with
his books to the county board of regis
tration. to be filed by such board. Pro-
vided that no person who has heretofore
volunteered in the military service OF
the United States or of this State, and
who has been, or may hereafter be, hon
orabIy discharged therefrom, shall be
redifred 10 take the iaffidaxit of! voters
provided. by this act, or be rejected from
registration on account of any d1SIoy-
nlty prior thereto; but any person pre-
seriting Iati honorable diseharge from
the United States military seTylce, II
qualified as heretofore provided by law,
sh all be registered asa qualified voter.
.gr And provided, furthery that every
person shall be registered who will be
entitled TO vote at the first election oc-
Giirlrine,after the registration by rea-
son of his arriving at ttwenty-one years
of age before that time, or by renson Eot
his having then resided for sufficient
length of time in his election dlssrict,
provided that he Is otherwise qunhhed
according to the provisions of this sec
"a The registrar shall not allow the
name Of nny foreign born resident or
citizen. qualified as foresaid, TO be reg
iStered unless his naturalization papers
be produced and exhibited to him, ana
by him endorsed with the date of their
eSbi !5itiotl, or upon satisfactory proof
fhnt snct person is naturalized, enter
ing in the sixth column the facts and
theIF sil f1icfency to constitute such per-
sof, n voter, provided that this section
shall moi. apply to persons who came 10
this country under eighteen years of
age, or to persons who nave served III
tie armies of the United States Or OF
this State, and been or shall be honoraT
bly discharged theretrom. lyo
55. d The 4 registrar shall Immediately
upotl receipt OF notice of his appoint-
merit, PROCEED TO register the names q
all the qualified voters within his ward,
township or districtsin accordance with
the provisions of this act. and shall
nave such registration completed on or
before the fourteenth day OF April,
eighteen hundred and sixty-six, and II
shall hefheldu of the registrar to sit
at some convenient place in his ward,
or district,i on Friday ana
Saturday of every week, from the first
Thursday in August tolthe third Satur-
flay of September, inclusive, for the
purpose of amending and CORRECTING the
said registration, and he shall give no.
tice ofitIie time and place OF sitting, at
least ten days previous thereto, by post
ing printed notices in ten of the most
public places in his ward, township or
district, andfthe county board of regis
tration may, II, they deem proper, ~ a
neyspapeF. if there be one In such
county, publishsthe same.
g. The name of any person who IS
duaiitied according TO the provisions pt
this, not. NAV be registered at any time
afoer the said twentieth lfourteenthl
tiay ofyApriI, or amer any other regular
days appointed for registering. voters
shall have passed, bat not less Than ten
tiaYs before any election at whlch such
person may desire to vote, by his appti-
cation to the proper registrar. - 8 :. z y
2. The county board OF, registration
shall have power, whenever they deem