Year: 1864

OfQua1fcations and Disabilities % 1'ec1ors'


sro, 10. Every wbite male citizen OF 'ne
80 c,a,es and eyery white male citizen of
Mo- who shall have been elected to become


e;,;zsn Of the United States under the treaty
osnssce exchanged and ratified at Queretaro,
On the aotb of NAY, l84s, of the age of twenty
one wears. who shall have been aresident of the
State six months next preceding the election.
and the county or district in which he claims
his vote, thirty days, shall be entitled to a.vote
a. all elections which are now OF hereafter may
be authorized By law.


SEC. IL. For the purpose of voting, no per-
son shall be deemed to have gained or lost
residence by reason Of his presence or absence
on the service Of the United States, nor while
engaged in the navigation of the waters of this
State or the United States, or of the high seas;
nor while student Of seminary of learning;
nor while kept at an almshouse or other asy-
lum, nor while confined in any public prison.


SEC. II. No idiot or insane person, or per-
sons convicted of any Infamous crime, shall be
entitled to the privileges of an elector.


Sec. ID. A crime shall be deemed infamous
which is punishable by death or by imprison-
ment in the State Prison.


OfhePlacs of Holding Elections, and also IF In-


spectOrs, Judges, and Clerks Of Eieetion.
SEC. II. It shall be the duty of each Inspec
tor to be at the place where the polls ara TO be
opened in the precinct for which he is appoint
ed, from eight in the morning until sunset on
the day of the election. Should snch Inspector
not appear at eight o'clock in the morning, the
electors present at the place where the polls are
to be opened, may appoint an Inspector for the
precinct


SEC. ls. The Board of Inspectors for each
precinct shall, before the time of opening the
polls, oppoint two suitable persons as to act
Clerks.


SEC. 10. Before any election shall be open
ed, the Inspector, Judges and Clerks shall each
before any officer authorized to administer oaths,
take an oath that he will faithfully and impair
italy discharge the duties assigned him by law
If there is no person present authorized 10 ad-
minister oaths, the Inspector shall administer
the same to the Judges and Clerks, aud one OF
the Judges shall then administer the oath to the
Inspector.


SEC 20. The Inspector shall be Chairman
of the Board and after its organization shall
have power to administer all necessary oaths
which may be required in the progress of the
election He shall also have power to fill any
vacancy that may occur in the Board of Judges,
or BY absence or by refusal to serve of either of
the Clerks, after the polls have been opened.
On opening the Polls: Of Voting and Challenges.
SEC %. At all elections, the polls shall be
open at eight o'clock in the morning, and shall
continue open until sunset, at which time
the Judges shall close the polls; prorided,
that the Judges of the election may take re-
cess of one hour at any Time they may think
proper during the day before three o'clock in
the afternoon.


SEC. %. The Board of Judges, before they
commence receiving ballots shall canse it to
be proclaimed aloud at the place of voting.th
the polls are open.


Sec. 25. Whenever any person offers to vote,
the Inspector shall pronounce his name in an
audible voice, and if there be no objection to
the qualification of such person rs an elector,
shall receive bis ballot, and in the presence of
the other Judges put the same, without being
opened or examined, into the ballot box


SEC. 26. The name of each elector whose bal
lot has thus been received, shall be Immediate
ly entered by each Clerk in the column of his
poll list, headed thames of voters, numbering
each name in the additional column, rs it is ta-
ken down, SO that it may be seen at any time
whether the two lists gree.


SEC. %. Any person offering to vote may be
challenged as unqualified, by the Inspector. or
either of the Judges, or by any legal voter; and
it shall, in all cases, be the duty of the inspcc-
tor and each of the Judges to challenge any
person offering to vote whom he shall know or
suspect not to be duly qualified as an elector.


Proceedings on Challcnge


so.t;ou I. Section twenty-cight of said Act is
amended so as to read as follows


Section 2S. If any person offering to vote al
any election shall be challenged in relation to his
right to vote at that election the Board of Judges
shall declare to him the qualifications of an elector
and the Inspector of the Judges shall tender
to him the following preliminary oath


"You do swear affirm, that you will
fully and truly answer all such questions as shall
be put to you touching your place of residence and
qualifications as an elector!


The Inspector Of tie judges shall then
proceed to question the person challenged in rea-
ton to his name, his then place of residence, how
long he has resided in the township and county,
where his last place of residence was, also his
citizenship, and whether native raturazed
citizen, and if the latter, when where, and in what
Court before what officer he naturalzed, and
all such other questions shall tend to test his
qualifications as to citizenship and right to vote.


See. 2. IF any person shall refuse to take the
said preliminary oath when so rendered, to an
any and all pertinent questions to his quail
ifcations, his vote shall be rejected; and if the
Board of Judges are satisfied, from his answers as
aforesaid that such person is not legal voter,
they shall reject his vote.


Sec 3. If such person shall still insist that he
entitled to vote, and the Board of Judges lind no
to reject his vote under the preliminary ex-
animation, and the challenge shall not be with
drawn, he shall not be entitled to vote unless he
take the following OATH to be administered by the
Inspector or one fthe Judges, viz:


You do swear Tor afirm the case may bel
that you citizen of the United States that you
of the age of twenty-one years according the
best of your knowledge and belief that you have
resided in this State six months next preceding
this election, and in this county, township, or
ward as the case may BEL thirty days, and that
you have not voted this day."


And in case the person offering to vote produce a
of he of of
petent jurisdiction, admitting him to citizenship,
his right to vote, and the person so producing the
same is unknown to the Board of Judges he shall
make oath that he is the person therein named


Sec 4. If any person challenged as unqualified
shall be guilty of wful and corrupt false swearing
or affirming in taking any oath or affirmation pre-
scrbed by this Act, such person shall be adjGdsed
guilty of wilful and corrupt perjury.


Sec. 5. Every person who shall wilfully and
corruptly procure any person to swear affirm
falsely as aforesaid shall be adiudged guilty of sub
ornation of perjury, and shall upon conviction
thereof suffer the punishment directed by law in
cases of wilful and corrupt perjury.


Sec. 6. Every person who shall procure, aid, as
sist counsel or advise another TO give offer his
vote at any general or special election, knowing
that the person is not duly qualified to vote shall
on conviction be adjudged guilty of misdemeanor,
and punished by fine of not less than fifty nor
more than five hundred dollars. or imprisonment
not less than two nor more than six months, or by
both such fine and imprisonment, as the Court may
direct


Sec = The Roard of Iudges of Election shall