Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-01-19
PLAN for Counting the Electoral Vote

Inc following DILL auu report were pFeseuteu
10 both houses of Congress yesterday by the
Joint committee to whom had been referred
resolution for devislng a mode for counting the
electoral vote, aed will be called up at an
early day:
A BILL to provide for anu regulate the count
lug Of votes for President and Vice Presl'
dent, and the decision of questions arising
thereon, for the term commencing March 4,
A. ID. 1877.
Be IL enacted, &c., That the Senate and
House Of Representatives shall meet IN the
Hall of the House of Representatives, at the
hour Of | o'clock past meridian, on the nrst
Thursday in February, A. D. 1877, and the
President of the Senate shall be their presld-
ing officer. Two tcllcrs shall be previously ap-
pointed on the part of the Senate, and two on
the part Of the House Of Representatives, to
whom shall be handed, as they are opened by
the President OF the Senate,a all the certlhcates,
and papers purporting to be certificates, OF the
electoral votes, which certificates and papers
shall be opened, presented and acted upon IN
the alphabetical order of the States, beginning
with the letter a and said teliers having then
read the same in the presence and nearing OIL
the two Houses, shall make list OF the votes
and the votes having been ascertalned and
counted as 10 this act provided, the result OF
the same shall be delivered to the President OF
the Senate, who shall thercupou announce the
state of the vote, and the names OF the per-
sons. if any, elected, which announcement shall
be deemed q sufficient declaration OF the per-
sons elected President and Vice President OF
the United States, and, together With list OF
the votes, be entered on the Journals o! the
two Houses. Upon such reading oil any SUCH
certificate or paper, when there shall be only
one return from State, the President OF the
Senate shall call for objections, if any. Every
affection shall be made in writing, and shall
state clearly and conclsely, and without argu,
mcpt, the ground thereof, aud shall be signed
| by at least one Senator and one member 81 Tile
| House of Representatives before the same
shall be received. When all objections 50 made
to apv vote or paper from State shall have
been received apd read, the Senate shall there
nnon withdraw, and such objections shall be
| submitted to the Senate for its decision; and
the Speaker Of the House of Representatives
shall. ia like manner, submit such objections to
the House Of Representatives Tor It's decision;
| and no electoral vote or votes from any State
from which but one return has been received
shall be rejected, except by the affirmative vote
Of the two Houses When the two Houses
| have voted, they shall Immediately again meet,
and the presiding officer shall then announce
the decision Of the question submitted.
Sec. >. That if more than one return, OF
paper purporling to be return from State,
Shall have been received by the President OF
the Senate, purporing to be the certificates Of
electoral votes given at the last preceding cleo
ton for President and Vice President 10 such
State, (unless they shall be duplicates OF thc
same rcturn,) all such returns and papers shall
| be opened by him in the presence CT the two
Houses when met as aforesaid, and read ~
the tcllers, and all such returns and papers
shall thereupon be submitted to the judgment
and decision rs to which is the true aud Lawful
electoral vote of such State, OF coumlsslor
constituted as follows, namely:
| During the session of each House Oh the
Tuesday next preceding the first Thursday ii
February, 1877, each House shall, by rtra r0ts
vote. appoint five of its members, who with
the five associate justices Of the Supreme Cour
lof the United States, to be asccrtalncd as here
! matter provided, shall constitute commission
| for the decision of all questions upon or in re-
spcct OF such double returns named IN THIS sec
! ton.
Ga the Tuesday next preceding the frs
| Thursday in February, A. ID. 1877, or as soor
thereafter as may he, the associate justices O
the Supreme Court of the United States nov
assigned to tho first, third eighth, and nintl
circuits shall select, 10 such manner rs ma
iority of them shall deem fit, another Of the
associate justices of said court, which said live
persons sha!! be members Of said commission
and the person longest in commission oil salt
five justices shall be the president Of said com
mission. The members OF said commission
shall respectively take and subscribe the icl
lowing oath:
| 81. do solemly swear Tor affirm
as the case may bc) that will impartially ex
anime and consider all the questions submlttel
to the commission Of which | am member
and true judgment give thereon, agreeably
| to the Constitution and the laws; so help mt
God" which oath shall be filed with the Sec
rotary of the Senate.
When the commission shall have been thu
organized it shall not be in the power Of either
! House to dissolve the same, or to Withdraw
any of its members; but if any such Senator OF
member shall die or become physically unable
to perform the duties required by this act, the
fact of such death or physical inability shall be
bv said commission, before it shall proceed
further, communicated to the Senate or House
of REPRESENTATIVES, as the case may be, which
body shall Immediately and without debate
proceed by vtua pocc vote TO fill the place 50 va
Gated, and the person so appointed shall take
and subscribe the oath hereinbelore prescribed,
and become member OF said commission; and,
in like manner, if any Of said justices Of the Su
preme Court shall die or become physically in
capable of performing the duties required by
this net, the other OF said justices, members OF
the said commission, shall immediately appoint
another justice Of said court member OF said
commission, and, in such appointments. regard
shall be had to the impartiality and freedom
from bias sought by the original appointments
to said commission, who shall thereupou inmc.
diatcly take and subscribe the oath hcrelnbe,
fore prescribed, and become member OF SAID
commission to ill the vacancy SO occasloncd.
! All the certificates and papers purporting to
| be certificates of the electoral votes OF each
| State shall be opened, 10 the alphabetical or
der of the States, as provided in section one Of
this act; and when there shall be more than
one such certificate or paper, as the certificates
and papers from such Stale shall SO be opened