Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-05-10
CHAPTER cxxvrI.

An act to prevent fraudulent voting at elections
/. Be it enacted by the Senate and General As
sembly of the State OF New Jersey, That the
boards of chosen reeholders of each county of the
first class and the common councils or board Of
aldermen of each city of the first class shall within
three months after the passage of this act and from
time to time, as occasion may require provide and
keep in good repair, ballot boxes for the use of
each ward, township or election district, which box,
when completed, shall be eleven inches in length,
width and depth, interior measurement as near as
may be, the top and bottom to be made Of hard
wood. one inch thick and fourteen inches in width
and length near as may be, and the four sides Of
plate glass at least fve-sixteenths of inch thick
and so clear that the inside of the box can be
plainly seen through 1t, and the four glass sides
shall-be closely ntted and fastened by glass cement
into proper grooves, one-half Of an inch deep, as
near as may be, both in the top and bottom Of the
box, each Of the four corners formed by the glass
portions of the box shall be secured on the exterior
by strong brass corner, extending from top to
bottom, fitting closely over the glass corner, such
brass corners not to extend than three-fOurths
of an inch on the glass sides each way from the
so formed, and TO be securely fastened into
the top and bottom of the box, the top and bot
tom to project beyond the glass portions the same
distance on each Of the four sides, near as may
be, and to be fastened together by brass rod
three eighths of inch thick, as may be- at
each corner, exterior to the glass and brass cor
ners before mentioned, each rod to extend from
top to bottom, and through both top and bottom,
and be secured by heads at each emil Of the rod
that the same cannot be removed without break
ing, cutting, filing or melting said rod, breaking,
cutting. ming OF SalO Top OF BOTTOM, each
box shall have lid thereto, which shall be fastened
by brass or iron hinges and there shall be on the
lid thereof three locks of different constructions so
that neither Of them can be opened with the key
belonging to another of them, and there shall be in
the lid thereof an aperture not larger than shall be
sufficient to admit single closed ballot therein at
time and the interior of the lid thereof shall be
provided with bar bolt that the aperture in the
same can be covered thereby, in such manner that
when the ballot box shall be locked, no ballot or
other thing be inserted in the same, the price
to be paid for any such box shall not exceed ren
dollars.
O. And be it enacted, That at every election, gen
eral, local, municipal or special, held within this
state after three months from the time this act
shall take effect, the ballot boxes constructed and
provided as required by this act and no other shall
be used.
3. And be it enacted, That if any board or eoun-
Gil mentioned in section of this act, shall fail
to provide many ballot boxes may be neces-
saTy, as required by this act, within the three
months specified in section OF this act any cti-
zen of the county or city in which such board or
council exists, may proceed by mandamus in the
Supreme Court, to compel such boxes to be pro-
yided. and the Supreme Court shall have jurisdic-
tion Of such proceeding, and shall have power to
compel such ballot boxes to be provided at or be-
fore time to be designated, land to commit for
contempt until the order or Judgment Of the court
be complied with.
Approved March %, 1SS3-