Year: 1863

sons In the military service and persons absent from
their respective counties, &c, passed March28h 1863
ana the ordinance OF the Convention referred the
act are app nded to this Proclamation Officers, civil
and military will be regulated by the requirements
therein prescribed.


49, Given under my hand as Gov ernor and un-
LIS. der the sealof the Coinon wealth of Virginia
wv this 9TH day of April 1863, in the ei eighty-sev
enth year Of the Commonwealth


JOHN LETCHER.
GEO. w. MUNFoRD


Secretary OF the Commonwealth.
AN ACT.


Io provldefoa voting by persoAs in the military


vice. ana persons absent from their respective conn


ties and corporations, of the presence OF


the public enemy, in elections for members of Con-
gress, and for Governor, Lieutenant Governor and
Attorney General, and for embers of the General


Assembly, and to amend ana re enact the third sec-


ton OF chapter eight Code of Virginia. edition
| Of 1860.


Passed March &c, 1863


l. Be 1t enacted by the General Assembly, that dur
ing the present the qualified voters of the Com
monwealth, who may be the military service the
State or of the Confederate States the day of any
general speial election for members of the House
OF OfkepresentaVes of the Confederate States of any
election for Governor, Lieute,sn Goyernor and At
torney General of this State, may such elec-
tion at such place places within their regiment
the comman dan OF such regiment shall designate,
whether such regiment be within the limits of this
State or not


2. For each place of voting the commandant of the
regiment shall detail superintendent three commls-
and many clerks shall be necessary who,
after being first duly sworn by him. shall perform the
duties Of and be liable to the penalties i'm
posed upon snch officers by the election laws OF the
State The qualified voters in any company bat
talllon unattached detached service, may vote
in like manner the officer in command detailing sim
liar officers to perform similar duties who shall be liza
BILE to like penalties The said commissioners shall
open polls on the day of any such election for
Congress- foa each district entitled to represen
in said Congress- for hch there shall be voters
In SAID regiment, battalion company desiring to
vote and on the day OF any election for Governor,
Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General they shall
also open polls tor such last named officers The quail
lhed voters, who present themselves to vote, shall be
asked by said com mlssOners from what district they
and each voter shall for person to repre-
sent the district from which he comes and his name
shall be recorded the poll book opened for that dis
trict, and also the poll book for Governor, Lieu
tenant Governor and Attorney General, when elec-
tion ior such last named officers shall be held and
when the polls taken aforesaid shall be closed the
commissioners holding the said election shall make
and certify statement OF the said polls to the
officer commanding the troops at the point where such
regiment may oe if there be any such officer, and if
not, then to the commandant OF the regiment, unat-
tached or detached battalion company, who shall
appoint person whose duty it shall be to take all
the polls and statements which may have been so ta
ken and certified to the Secretary of the Common
wealth, within fifteen days after the Of
such election.


B. The qualified voters of any county or corporation,
|
enemy the day appointed for any such election
is mentioned in the first section, may during the
listing war vote in any such election in which they
would be entitled to vote If the county corpora
ton of their don1e the courthouse of any county
or corporation in the State where they may happen to
be on the day OF said election If any other election
is held at the tme the officers holding said eec-
ton shall Open the pol and receive the votes herein
authorized to be poled prescribed by law in
OF other elections but If other election then held
than such Whic the persons mentioned in this Sec
| a re- Vl!Q al hQl hp
by the clerk of the county court Any such person de-
string to vote in such election, shall make oath before
The CLERK, other conducting the election, that
he believes he would &c entitled TO therein if in
the county corporation of his domicl and th reup
on his shall DC recorded the proper poll When
such polls shall be closed, the oicer conducting the
election shall certify the result and the correctness of
the polls the foot thereof, and shall transmit such
poll book certified by mall prepaying the postage
thereon, the Secretary of the Commonwealth, with
IN alter the Of the election


Be 1t further enacted that the third section of chap
ter eight Of Code of Virginia. edition of eighteen hun
oil ed and sixty, be amended and re-enacted to
read as follows:


''SEC 3. In cases of elections for election districts
Senatorial Congressional districts, the commits
sloners experimenting the election at the Court Hou
Ses of the several counties corporations forming
such DISTRICTS SHALL within three DAYS after such cleo
ton is concluded, deliver certified statement of the
result of the election said county, to be ascertaned
by comparing the polls OF the different voting places
sand county and striking the erom such votes as
are required Dy law 70 be stricken thererOm to the
officer conducting the election at the Courthouse of
said county, such other officers as may legally
act for him which said statement shall be written
words anu not in hgures and shall conform
be to the form OF the required to be made
in Ofthe election of Governor. The officers
ducng the election at the Court Houses of the several
counties shall at the Court House OF the county
or corporation first named in the law describing such
districts, which may not be in the possession pow
er of the public enemy, on certain day after that
appointed by law for the commencement of such cleo
tion; which certain day, in the of election
from district of delegate, shall be the eighth of
SENATOR shall be the twelfth, and of representative
in Congress shall be the fifteenth after such COM
N mencement. They shall compare the returns from
their respective counties, shall declare elected the
person having the greatest number Of votes in the
whole district. II thegl eatest number of votes be
equal for two or persons the officers attending
Shall decide to which OF them they WILL give the GER
tcate OF election and if the votes of said officers be
equal also they shall decide forthwith by lot to whom
such certificate shall be gwen. notice OF said elec
ton shall forthwith be given at the door OF the Court
house where the meeting is held. In case of special
elections TO supply vacancies the time Tor the meet
ing of the returning officers shall be earlier, II requ
red in the writ OF election provided that during the
existing war, all elections for members OF the
House OF Representatives of the Confederate States
the officer conducting the election OF the Court hou
of the several counties shall transmit the certlned
statement OF the result OF the election IN MS county
herein above reqIlred by mail prepaying the postage
thereon to the Secretary of the Commonwealth with
in twenty days after the commencement OF such eec
ton,


s. 1t shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Com
monw ealth, within thirty days from the commence.
ment of any such election is mentioned IN the pre-
cedng sections, to examine the polls returned to him
as aforesaid and certy the state OF the same to the
Governor, who shall declare and make proclamation
of the result and in case two candidates have
an equal number of votes tor the Office the Gov
shall decide by lot to whom the return shall be
given, and declare the result accordingly.
g. Be 1t further enacted that upon the receipt of
any polls under the provisions OF the ordinance (No.
9Y passed December the 9th, 1861, the Secretary Of
the Commonwealth shall perform the duties require
by law to be performed by the commissioners al
officers conduct the eeetiA@s the Court house
by either them, the SAINT manner he is require
BY law in such polls had been received by hi
from the county dstric; for which the election
had and allother proceedings shall be the same
| in such


z Be it further enacted, That it shall be the du
| of the Governor of the Commonwealth to issue ID
proclamation, giving TO the qualified voters
the State in the military vice Of the State of ii
Confederate States, or who may &c absent from I'll
county or corporation of their residence, because
the presence OF the public enemy, of their right
vote for members OF the General assembly, by virtue
of the provisions OF the first second and fourth
lions of the ordinance passed by the Com entlon
Virginia NO 99) ON the 9th dayOf December, 1861
and also to all whom 1t may concern of the paSl
sase of this act and of the rights and duties or
in ITS PROVISIONS and shall further be his duty 10
rennest the President of the C1nfederate States to
sue an order tosa OF camps, posts and
detachmepts in command of virginia troops, requi-
ring them To give their aid in the due execution of
| the ordinance aforesaid and OF this act.


8 The result OF the votes IN camps and the result
of the votes of persons absent fom their counties,
cries or towns by OF the presence of the
nv shalbe forwarded by mail when practicable, dl-