The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1909-08-07
CHAPTER 20.

ton of the State, which said Act is in the fol-
lowing words, to wit:
CHAPTER 20.
AN ACT to amend Section one of Article one,
title. Effective Franchise" of the Constitu-
ton of this State, and to provide for the submits
sion of said Amendment to the qualified voters
of this State for adoption or rejection.
SECTION !. Be 1t enacted by the General AS
bers of each of the two Houses cOncurriDg, that
the following section be and the same is hereby
proposed as an amendment to Section one OF
Constitution of this State, and if adopted by the
legal and qualified voters thereof, as herein pro-
vided, it shall supersede and stand in the place
and stead of Section one of said Article one.
SEC. l. All elections shall be by ballot, and
every male citizen of the United States of the age
resident of the State for two years and of the
Legislative District of Baltimore City or of the
year next preceding the election, and who, more
over is duly registered as a qualified voter as
provided in this Article, shall be entitled to vote,
Sides at all elections hereafter to be held in this
State. and in case any county or city shall be SO
divided as to form portions of different electoral
districts for the election of Representatives in
Congress, Senators, Delegates or other officers,
then to entitle person to vote for such officer.
county or city which shall form a part of the
electoral district in which he offers to vote, for
one year next preceding the election; out q per-
son who shall have acquired residence in such
county or city, emitting him to vote at any such
election shall be entitled to vote in the election
district from which he removed. until he shall
have acquired residence in the part of the
county or city TO which he has removed.
Every male citizen of the United States having
the above prescribed qualifications of age and
residence shall be entitled to be registered.
to become qualified voter if he be, first a per-
son who, on the first day of January in the year
eighteen hundred and sixty-nine. or prior there
to, was entitled to vote under the laws Of this
State, or of any other State of the United States,
wherein he then resided or second: male de-
scendant of such last mentioned person; or third:
q foreign born citizen of the United States natur-
allied between the first day of January in the
year eighteen hundred and sixty-nine and the
date of the adoption of this section of this Arti
Gle; or fourth: male descendant, of such last
mentioned person; or fifth person who, in the
presence of the officers of registration, shall in
his own handwriting, with pen and ink, without
any
to him by any of the officers of registration,
make application to register correctly, stating
of birth, residence and occupation at the time
and for the two years next preceding, the name
or names of his employer or employers, IL any,
ing, and whether he has previously voted. and
If so, the State. county or city and district or
precinct in which he voted last. and also the
States, of one of the Justices of the Supreme
Court of the United States, of the Governor
Ct 81 Of one o eS the d sSS of of the the
Mayor of Baltimore City, if the applicant resides
in Baltimore City, or of one of the County Com
missioners of the county in which the applicant
resides; and any person who is unable to COM
ply with the aforegoing requirements as to maxi
ing application Representation in his Own hand
writing, solely because he is physically disabled
from so doing; or sixth: person, or the hus-
band of person, who at the time of his applica-
tion for registration, is bona tide owner of real
or personal property in an amount of not less
than five hundred dollars, is assessed therefor
on the textbooks of the City of Baltimore or of
one of the counties of this State, has been such
owner and so assessed for two years next pre-
ceding his application for registration: shall
have paid and shall produce receipts for the
taxes on said property for said two years and
shall at the time of his application make affidavit
before the officers of registration that he is or
that he is the husband of the person who is the
him or to her. as the case may be, and that he or
she has been such owner for two years next pre-
No person not qualified under some one of the
above clauses shall be entitled to be registered
as qualified voter or be entitled to vote. Every
written application to be registered. presented
to the officers of registration by any person APP
plying to be registered under the above fifth
clause, shall be carefully preserved by said Off
GERS of registration and shall be produced in any
Court, If required, as hereinafter provided.
The affidavit Of any applicant for registration.
Court, that he, the applicant, is person who
was entitled to vote on or before the first day of
81 Ss he 6a 5ecome
a naturalized citizen of the United States be-
tween the first day of January, in the year eigh-
adoption of this Article, as aforesaid, or his afi
davit upon information and belief that he is
descendant OF person WHO was entitled to vote
or before the first day of January, in the year
eighteen hundred and sixty mine. or that he Is q
descendant of person who has become natur-
allied citizen of the United States between the
first day of January, in the year eighteen hum
dred and sixty-nine, and the date of the adop-
ton of this section of this article, shall be prs7G
fGcie evidence of any of said facts so sworn to.
A wilf02ly false statement upon the part OF
any applicant for registration in relation to any
of the matters aforesaid snail De perjury ana
punishable as perjury is punished by the laws of
this State.
Any person who feels aggrieved by the action
of any board of officers of registration in refus-
ing to register him as qualified voter, or in
registering any disqualified person, may at any
time, either before or after the last session 20. Oh
than the Tuesday next preceding the election,
file petition. verified by affidavit in the Circuit
Court for the county in which the cause OF COM
plant arises, or If the cause of complaint arises
in Baltimore City, in any court of common laws
Jurisdiction In said city, setting forth the
grounds of his application and asking to have
the action of the board of officers Of registration
corrected. The court shall forthwith set the
petition for hearing and direct SUMMONS to be
issued recurring the board of officers of registra
ton complained against in said petition to at
tend at the hearing In person or by counsel, and
where the object of the petition is to strike of
the name of any person, summons shall also be
issued for such person, which shall be served by
the Sheriff within the time therein designated;
ton and power to review the action of any board
of officers of registration and to grant or with
hold, as 1t may deem lawful and proper, the re-
lief prayed for in the premises.
In determining whether any person who APP
piled to be registered under the above fifth
be registered under said fifth clause, the court
shall require the board of officers of registration
complained against to produce the written APP
plication prepared and submitted by such per-
son at the time he presented himself for regis
tration to said board of officers of registration,
and upon said written application the court shall
determine whether or not said person. when he
presented himself for registration, complied
with the requirements of said fifth clause; and
if the court shall determine that said written ap
plication, so prepared and submitted by said per-
son, complied with the requirements of said fifth
clause, and that said person was not disqualified
under any other provision of this Article OF the
Constitution to be registered upon the books of
registry in question, then the Court shall order
said person to be registered as qualified voter,
but If the Court shall determine that said writ
ten application of said person failed to comply
with the requirements of said fifth clause, or
that said person was in any other respect under
this Article of the Constitution disqualified to
be registered upon the books of registry In ques-
ton: then the court shall order that said person
shall not be registered upon said books OF
The Court may enforce any order by attach
ment for contempt in said cases neither party
shall have any right of removal; exception may
be taken to any ruling of the court at the hear
ing of said cases and an appeal shall be allowed
to the Court of Appeals as in other cases; all
such appeals shall be taken within five days
from the date of the decision complained of, and
shall be heard and decided by the Court of APP
peals upon the original papers, or otherwise, as
the Court of Appeals may by rule prescribe, as
soon as may be practicable.
The General Assembly shall have power to
provide more fully by legislation not inconsis
tent with this section of this Article. for the
hearing and determination of all such cases,
SEC2. And be 1t further enacted by the au-
thority aforesaid, That the afOreg0ing section
hereby proposed as an amendment to the Con-
stitution of this State shall be at the next Cen
eral Election for members of the General AS
sembly to be held in this State, submitted to the
legal and qualified voters thereof for their adop
tiOn or rejection, in pursuance of the directions
contanedin Article XIV of the Constitution of
this State, and at said general election the vote
on the said proposed amendment shall be by
ballot, and upon each ballot there shall be prin-
ted the words "For the Constitutional Amend
ment" and against the Constitutional Amend
mentr as now prescribed by law, and immedi-
atey after said election due returns shall be
made to the Governor of the vote for and against
said proposed amendment, as directed by the
said Article XIV of the Constitution.
Approved February rs, 1908.
Now, therefore, /. Austin L. Crothers, Cover
nor Of the State of Maryland, in pursuance of
the provisions of Section l. of Article IA of the
Constitution of the State of Maryland, do here
by order and direct that copy Of said Act pro-
posing an amendment to Section of Article OF