Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1879-10-08
OF THE ELECTION RETURNS.


SEC. 13.-As soon us the polls shall close, the
| officers of the election shall proceed TO count
| all the votes cast for each candidate voted for
and make full return OF the same in trplicate
with return sheet in addition, in all of which
| the votes received by each candidate shall be
| given after lis name, first in words and again
| in figures, and shall be signed by all the said
| officers and by oyerseers, If any, or II not SO
certiie' th overseers and any officer refusing
to sigh = ;rtity, or either OF them. shall write
| upon each OF the returns his or their reason for
| not signing or certifying them. The vote, as
soon rs coun ed shall also be publicly and fully
declared from the window to the citizens pres
ent, and brief statement showing the votes
received by each candidate shall be made and
| signed by the election officers as soon as the
votes are counted; and the same shall be i'm
mediately posted upon the door of the election
house Tor information of the public. The trip.
licate returns shall be enclosed in envelopes
ana be sealed i'll The presence of the officers,
and one envelope, with the unsealed return
| sheet given to the judge, which shall contain
| one list of voters, tally papers, and oath OF
| officers, and another of said envelopes shall be
given TO the minority Inspector. Ali judges
living within twelve miles OF the prothonotary's
office, or within twcntyfour miles, il their resi-
dcnce be in town, city or village upon the line
of u railroad leading to the county seat, shall
| before two O'Clock past meridian OF the day
aft / the election, deliver said return, together
| court of common pleas of the county, which
| said return shall be filed, and the day and the
hour uf filing marked thereon, and shall be pre-
| served by the prothonotary for public inspcc-
| ton. At twelve O'Clock on the second day fol
| lowing any election, the prothonotary of the
court of common pleas shall present the said
| returns to the said court. In counties where
there is no resident president judge, the associate
| judge shall perform the duties imposed upon
the court of common pleas, which shall con-
! yene for said purpose; the return presented by
| the prothonotary shall be opened by said court
anG computed by such of its officers and such
| sworn assistants as the court shall appoint in
| the presence OF the judge or judges of said
court, the returns certified and certificates OF
election issued under the seal of the court as is
now required TO be done by return judges ; and
the vote as so computed and certified shall be
| made matter OF record in said court. The
| sessions OF said court shall be opened to the
public. And in case the returns of an election
district shall be missing when the returns are
presented, or in any case OF complaint of q
J qualified eector undor oath, charging palpable
| iraGd or mistake, and particularly specifying
tho alleged fraud or mistake, or where fraud OF
! mistake is apparent on the return, The court
shall examine the return and II, in the judy
ment OF the court, II shall be necessary to Just
return, said court shall issue summary process
against the election officers and overseers, in
any of the election districts complained OF, to
bring them forthwith into court, with all election
papers in their possession; and if palpable
mistake or fraud shall be discovered, 1t shall,
upon such hearing rs may be deemed neces-
sary to enlighten the court, be corrected by the
court and SO certified; but all allegations OF
palpable fraud or mistake hall be decided by
the said court within three days after the day
the returns are brought into court for computa-
tation; and the said inquiry shall be directed
only TO palpablc fraud mistake, and shall
not be deemed n Judicial adjudication to con-
a. 10 rtA.V ~! hfy, ffai-r ha
vided by law, and the other OF said triplicate
returns shall be placed iii box and sealed mp
with the ballots. II any of the said judges
shall himself be q candidate for any Office at
any election, he shall not sit with the court, or
act in counting the returns of such election,
and in such cases the judges, if any, shall act.
Given rnder my hand at Butler, this Sth day
Z of October, 1879, and in the l04th year of the
Independence of the United States.
VIM. Ii. HOFFMAN, Sheriff.