Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-03-16

session. allowing no one to examine them
nor shall such member comnittEicate to any
one any Information as to the size, style OF
contents of said ballots. He shall continue
| in such exclusive possession until he delivers
said ballots to the Electoral Board as here
matter provided. Any violation of the pro.
visions of this section for which no punish.
ment has been otherwise provided, shall be
deemed misdemeanor, and punished by a
fine of 5000 and Imprisonment for one month
in Jail.
| JUDGE TO BE PRESENT.
| Z. 1t shall be the duty of the Electoral
Board as soon as possible after the passage OF
this act to procure and adopt a seal, which
may be changed from time to time in the dis.
erection of said board, which said seal shall be
not less than two inches in diameter. Said
board shall meet as soon as convenient after
! the printing of the ballots, as provided in the
| preceding section, of which meeting the Judge
OF the county or corporation court.shall be no
| titled, and at which there shall be present the
| said Judge and the men. bers of the said board
but no other persons. And said Judge shall
| thereupon enter of record upon the minutes of
| the Electoral Board an affidavit, stating that
said ballots were counted and sealed in his
presence in the manner prescribed by law
At this meeting the member of the board who
shall have secured from the printer the bal.
lots as required by the preceding section,
shall deliver said ballots to said board. The
ballots shall then be carefully counted by the
said board, and entered by the secretary of the
board, in book provided by him and kept
for such purpose. The board shall affix its
seal to every ballot printed as above prOvid-
ed, upon the side reverse from that upon
which the names of the candidates appear.
Of the said ballots they shall make as many
packages as there are voting precincts in
said county or city, one for each precinct,
which package shall contain twice as many
official ballots as there voters registered at
the precinct for which it is intended. Each
Of these packages shall be securely sealed so
that the ballots shall be invisible, and so that
they could not be readily opened without de-
lection. Upon each of said packages shall be
endorsed the name of the precinct for which
It's intended, and the number of ballots there
in contained. The remainder of the ballots
shall then be securely wrapped and sealed,
and kept securely by the said board. The
said packages designed for the various pre-
cincts shall remain in the exclusive posses
sion of the secretary of the board until deliv-
cred by him to the judges or Judge of election
of the precinct as hereinafter provided.
s. Before every election the secretary of the
Electoral Board shall deliver to the judges
or judge of election the package of official
ballots for that precinct, taking receipt
therefor and a certificate that the seals APP
peared to be untampered with. Said sealed
package at the opening of the poll shall be
opened in the presence of the clerks of election
and other judges present, and the ballots in
said package shall then be carefully counted.
All ballots remaining unused at the close of
the polls shall be carefully destroyed before
the box is opened. Any person willfully
and cOrruptly failing to perform the duties
required of him, Or Intentionally violating
any of the provisions of this section, OF open
ing any sealed package of official ballots, ex-
cept as specially provided for herein, shall
he deemed guilty OF misdemeanor and be
punished with a fine of 5000 and Imprisonment
one month in Jail.
THE VOTING BOOTH.
9. 1t shall be the duty of the Electoral
Board OF the several counties and cities to
provide at each of the voting places in their
respective counties and cities, small COM
partment OF booth, large enough to contain
and conceal from general observation a vo-
ter and desk Or other convenience for writ.
ing. In said booth there shall be placed pen
and ink. Said compartment OF booth shall be
so erected that a person standing at said desk
in said booth OF compartment shall be wholly
excluded from the observation of the clerks,
judges of election. and other persons. The
said board, in its discretion, may have one OF
more of said booths at said voting places
TO- Except as hereinafter provided for. save
the judges of election and clerks allowed by
law, no person other than the elector Offering to
vote, shall be within forty feet of the ballot
box. The judges Of election shall promptly
decide any dispute as to the precedence OF
electors to the right to vote, deciding who first
offered; or, if two OF more offered at tine same
time, selecting the one to whom precedence
shall be given: but, in case of a challenge,
the challengers and challenged and the wit
nesses may appear before the judges, when
such challenge is decided, only the electol
having the right to vote shall remain within
the prescribed limits.
HOW YOU MUST VOTE.
II. Every elector qualified to vote at pre-
cinct shall. when he SO demands, be furnished
with an official ballot by one of the judges of
election selected Tor that duty by majority of
the judges present. The said elector shall
then take the said official ballot and retire to
said voting booth. lie shall then draw line
with pen OF pencil through the names of the
candidates he does not wish to vote for, leav-