Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1909-10-29

WHEREAS, at the January Session of the
General Assembly of Maryland. held in the
year of our Lord one thousand nine hun
bred and eight, an Act was passed pro-
posing an amendment to Section of Arti-
Gle of the Constitution of the State, which
said Act is in the following words. to-wit
CHAPTER 20.
AN ACT to amend Section one of Article
one, title. Elective Franchise" of the
Constitution of this State, and to provide
for the submission of said amendment
to the qualified voters of this State for
adoption or rejection.
SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General
Assembly of Maryland, three -fifths of all
the members of each of the two Houses
that the following section be
and the same is hereby proposed as an
amendment to Section one of Article one,
title. Elective Franchise" of the Consti-
tuition of this State, and if adopted by the
legal and qualified voters thereof, as here
in provided, il shall supersede and stand in
the place and stead of Section one of said
Article one.
SECTION 1. All elections shall be by ballot,
and every male citizen of the United States
of the age of twenty-0ne years or upward.
who has been a resident of the State for
two years and of the Legislative District
of Baltimore City or Of the county in which
he may offer to vote. for one year next
preceding the election, and who, moreover,
Is duly registered as a qualified voter as
provided in this Article, shall be entitled
to vote, in the ward or election district in
which he resides, 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 Con-
gress, Senators, Delegates or other officers,
then to entitle person to vote for such
officer, he must have been a resident OF
that part of the county or city which shall
form part of the electoral district in
which he offers to vote, for one year next
preceding the election; but a person who
shall have acquired a 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 so as to become qualified voter
If he be first person who, on the first
day of January in the year eighteen hun
dred and sixty-nine. or prior thereto, was
entitled to vote under the laws of this State
or of any other State in the United States
wherein he then resided or second a male
descendant of such last mentioned person
or third foreign born citizen of the
United States naturalized between the first
day of January in the year eighteen hun
bred and sixty-nine and the date of the
adoption of this section Of this Article ; OF
fourth: male descendant of such last men
toned person; or fifth a person who, in
the presence of the officers of registration
shall in his own handwriting. with pen and
ink, without any aid, suggestion or memo
randum whatsoever. and without any ques-
ton or direction addressed to him by any
of the officers of registration, make appli-
cation to register correctly, stating in such
application his name, age, date and place
of birth, residence and occupation at the
time and for the two years next preceding
the name or names Of his employer or en-
DlOyers, il any, at the time and for the two
years next preceding, 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 name in full of the
President of the United States, of one of the
Justices of the Supreme Court of the United
States, of the Governor of Maryland, of one
of the Judges of the Court of Appeals OF
Maryland and of the Mayor of Baltimore
City, If the applicant resides in Baltimore
City, or of one of the County Commissioners
of the county in which the applicant resides
and any person who is unable to comply
with the aforegoing requirements as to
making application for registration in his
own handwriting, solely because he is phys
ically disabled from so doing or sixth a
person. or the husband of a person. who at
the time of his application for registration,
is bona tide owner of real or personal pro-
perty 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
preceding 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 appli-
cation make affidavit before the officers of
registration that he is, or that he is the
husband of the person who is the bona fde
owner of the property so assessed to him or
to her, as the case may be. and that he or
she has been such owner for two years
next preceding his application.
No person not qualified under some one
of the above clauses shall be entitled to be
registered as qualified voter or be enti-
tied to vote. Every written application to
be registered, presented to the officer OF
registration by any person applying to be
registered under the above fifth clause.
shall be carefully preserved by said officers
of registration and shall be produced in any
Court, If required, as hereinafter provided.
The affidavit of any applicant for regis
tratiOn, duly made to the officer of regis
tration or in Court, that he, the applicant,
is a person who was entitled &c vote OF; or
before the first day of January in the year
eighteen hundred and sixty-nine. as afOre-
said, or that he has become naturalized
citizen of the United States 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 Article. as
aforesaid or his affidavit upon infOrma-
ton and belief that he Is a descendant of
a person who was entitled to vote OH or
before the first day of Januaryin the year
eighteen hundred and sixty-nine, or that
he is a descendant Of person who has
become a naturalized citizen of the United
States 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 Article. shall be prtma facie evidence
Of any of said facts so sworn to.
A willfully false statement upon the part
Of any applicant for registration in relation
to any of the matters aforesaid shall be
perjury. and punishable as perjury is pun
shed by the laws Of the State.
Amy person who feels aggrieved by the
action Of any board of officers of registra-
ton in refusing to register him as quail
fed voter, or in registering any disquali-
fed person, may at any time, either before
Or after the last session Of the board OF
officers of registration, but not later than
the Tuesday next preceding the election,
file petition, verified by affidavit, in the
Circuit Court for the county in which the
cause Of complaint arises, or If the cause
Of complaint arises in Baltimore City, in
any court Of common law Jurisdiction in
said city. setting forth the grounds Of his
application and asking TO have the action
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