Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1896-05-15

dent and Vice President by scratching th'
names of the other candidates for President
and Vice-President, as is pro .ided in sec
ton II of this act and the ballots Shall be
counted as they would be counted if. tils
names of the electors had been scratched.
9. 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 seal may be changed from time tt
time in the discretion of said board, which
said seal shall not be 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 OF
Corporation Court shall be notified, and al
which there shall be present the said judge
and the members of said board, but no Other
persons. And said judge shall thereupon
enter Of record upon the minutes of cleo
toral board an affidavit stating that said
ballots were counted and sealed in his pres
ence, and in the manner prescribed by law.
And in the event of the inability, through
sickness or other incapacity of the said
judge, to discharge any of the duties impos
ed by this act, it shall be lawful for the sale
duties to be performed by the Judge of some
other county Oh corporation. At this
meeting the member of the board who Shall
have secured from the printer the ballots,
as required by section 6, shall deliver said
ballots to said board. s-
The ballots shall then be carefully count
ed by said boards, and the number thereof
entered by the secretary Of the board in
book provided by him and kept for such
purpose. The board shall atfix its seal to
every ballot printed, as above provided,
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 preclnts in said
county or city, one for each precinct, Which
package shall contain twice as many Oil
cial ballots as there are 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 detection. Upon each Of said
packages shall be endorsed the name OF the
precinct for which it is intended, and the
number of ballots therein contained. The
packages designed for the various precincts
shall remain in the exclusive possession OF
the secretary of the board until delivered
of 1u6O1S
of election of the several precincts, as
hereinafter provided. The secretary OF
said electoral board shall keep in his sole
custody the seal OF stamp of said board,
and in sealed package, tob open only IN
the presence of the electoral board and the
Judge of the County OF Corporation Court,
when in the discharge of their duties. as
prescribed in this section.
DELIVERY OF THE BALLOTS.
10. Before every election the secretary
of the electoral board shall deliver to the
judges. or one Of the judges OF election, the
package of official ballots for that precinct,
taking recei pit therefor and a certificate
that the seals appeared to be untampered
with. And in event OF the inability by
sickness OIL other incapacity OF said secre-
tary to deliver said official ballots as herein
provided, the said electoral board OF the
said secretary may cause them to be dellv-
cred by another member of said board
Said sealed package, at the opening of the
pell, shall beeopened in the presence OF the
clerks and judges Of elections, and the bal
Il no fully
counted All ballots remaining unused at
the close of the polls shall be carefully de
stroyed before the box is opened. Any
person wilfully and corruptly failing to per
form the duties required of him, Oh, inten-
tionally violating any of the provisions OF
this section, or opening any sealed package
Of official ballots, except as specially provid-
ed for herein for herein shall be deemed
guilty Of d misdemeanor, and be punished
with a fine of 5000 and Imprisonment one
month il Jail. as
IL. It 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 or booth large enough to contain
and conceal from general observation a
voter. and a desk OIL other convenience for
writing. 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 OIL compartment
shall be wholly excluded from the observa-
ton Of the clerks. judges of elections, and
in, itc
erection, may have one OF more of said
booths at said voting places.
/ MARKING THE NAMES.
+ -. Except as hereinafter provided for,
save the judges Of election and clerks, no
person other than the elector offering to
vote shall be within forty feet of the ballot
box. The judges of election shall prompt
ly decide any dispute as to precedence of
electors to the right to vote, deciding who
first offered, Oh it two OF more offered at
the same time, selecting the oneIto whom
precedence shall be given; but in case OF a
challenge the -chaliengers and challenged
and the witnesses may appear before the
judges; when such challenge is decided,
only the elector, having the right to vote
shall remain within the prescribed limits.
( IS. Every elector qualified to vote at a
precinct shall, when he SO demands, be
furnished with an official ballot by one of
the judges of election selected for that
duty by a majority Of the judges present.
The said elector shall then take the said
official ballot and retire to said voting
hooth He shall then draw line with a