The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-08-30
LEGAL ADVERTISING

Der of ballots found therein recorded and compared with the records sent from the corresponding voting places The records thus compared shall be made available to the pulp lie, with notations explaining any corrections made therein. If any discrepancy shall appear which cannot be reconciled, 1t shall De shown on the record. All ballots found in the ballot boxes which bear no evidence of having been im- properly cast shall be accepted. The ballots in each ballot box shall also be examined for validity and those which are found to be invalid or blank shall be separated from the rest. The number of valid ballots from each voting place and the total number of valid ballots shall be re- corded. A ballot shall be held invalid if 1t does not clearly show which candidate the voter prefers to all others or if 1t contains any word, mark or other sign apparently in- tended to identify the voter. Each ballot not thus invalid shall be counted according to the intent of the voter so far as that can be clearly ascertained, whether marked according to the directions printed on it or not. No ballot shall be irl- valid because it is marked in ink or pencil from the one supplied at the voting place, or because the names of candidates thereon for whom the voter did not mark 8 choice have been stricken out. A single cross on a ballot on which no figure ap- pears shall be considered equivalent to the figure l. If a ballot shall con- tain both figures and crosses, the order of choice shown by the figures shall be taken as the voters inten- tention, so far as the order shall be clearly indicated. If the consecu- tive numerical order of the figures on the ballot has been broken by the omission of one or more figures, the smallest number marked shall be taken to indicate the voters first choice, the next smallest his sec- ond, and so on without regard to the figure or figures omitted.
 Sec. 233. Quota Necessary to Elect. The quota of votes sufficient for the election of councilman or a mem- Der of the board of education shall be the smallest number of ballots which could be received separately by each of seven candidates but not by one more. It shall be determined by dividing the total number of valid ballots cast for the office in question by eight and adding one to the result, disregarding fractions
 Sec 234. Rules for Counting Ball. lots. The results of the election shall then be determined according to the following rules and procedure, which shall be applied first to the ballots for the council and then to those for the board of education: CD The ballots shall first be sorted accord ing to the first choices marked on them. Each candidate shall be credited with one vote for each bal lot that is sorted to him as first choice or otherwise credited to him as hereinafter provided and no bal lot shall ever be credited to more than one candidate at the same time. (2) When, at any stage. of the counting, the number of ballots credited to candidate shall become equal to the quota, he shall be de- clared elected and no ballots in ex- cess of the quota shall be credited to him except as provided ip rule (D. (3) If a candidate sffall be elected while the ballots are being sorted according to first choices, any subsequent ballots which show him as first choice shall each be credited to the second choice marked on it; If the second choice also has been elected, to the next choice marked on 1t for a candidate not yet elected. (N If, during the first sorting of ballots, some ballots shall be found which are marked for candidate already elected as first choice but show no clear choice for any unelected candidate, such ballots shall, at the end of the sort ing, be given to the candidate of their first choice and in their place an equal number as nearly as possi- ble of the last ballots sorted to that candidate which do show a clear choice for unelected candidates shall be taken and resorted to un- elected candidates as if they were then being sorted for the first time
 (6 When all the ballots have been thus sorted and credited to the first available choices marked on them
 each candidate who has fewer bal. lots to his credit than two hundred shall be declared defeated. (6) All the ballots of the candidates thus defeated shall be transferred, each to the candidate indicated on 1t as next choice among the continuing candidates. A continuing candi- date" is 8 candidate not yet elected or defeated. Any ballot taken fol transfer which does not clearly in- dicate any candidate as next choice among the continuing candidates shall be set aside as exhausted.
 CD When all the ballots of the can didates thus defeated have beer
 transferred, the one candidate who is then lowest on the poll shall bt declared defeated and all his bal lots transferred in the same way
 (8) Thereupon the candidate who is then lowest shall be declared de. feated and all his ballots similarly transferred. Thus candidates shal
 be declared defeated one at 8 time and all their ballots transferred. (9) If, when a candidate is to be de- clared defeated, two or more candi. dates shall be tied at the bottom o, the poll, that one of the tied candi. dates shall be declared defeated who was credited with fewest ballot. just before the last transfer of bal. lots. If two or more of the tied can. didates were tied at that stage oi the count also, the second tie shal
 be decided by referring similarly tt the standing of the candidates just before the last transfer of ballot!
 before that. This principle shall bt applied successively as many time! as may be necessary, any tie showr at any stage of the count being de. cided by referring to the standing ol