Year: 1878

THE gist of Senator Edmunds's bill pro-
vlding for the regulation and count Of votes
for President aud Vice President is in the
sixth section. That section requires that on
the day of counting the electoral votes the
Senate shall meet in short session, the Vice
President presiding. Two tellers shall be
appointed on the part of the Senate and two
on the part of the House, and these tellers
shall read the certificates of the electoral votes
OF the different States and make list there
OF. After the votes are counted by the tel
lers they shall be delivered to the Vice Presi-
dent, who shall announce the state of the
vote and the persons, II any, elected, which
announcement shall be deemed sufficient
declaration of the person elected President
and Vice President of the United States.
Upon the reading of any certificate or paper
the President of the Senate shall call for oh
jections. Every objection must be made in
writing and shall state clearly and concisely
and without argument the ground therefor,
and shall be signed by at least one Senator
anc one member of the House of Representa
tives before the same shall be received. When
all the objections SO made to any vote or pa
per from State shall have been received
and read, the Senate shall thereupon with
draw and such objection shall be submitted
to the Senate for Its decision, and the Speak
er OF the House of Representatives shall in like
manner submit such objections to the House
OF Representatives for its decision, and no
electoral vote or votes from any State
from which but one return has been
received, shall be rejected except by the af-
1rmatiye votes Of both houses. If more
than one return, Or paper purporting to be a
return, from State shall have been received
by the President of the Senate, those votes
and those only shall be counted which shall
have been regularly given by the electors
who are shown by the evidence to have been
appointed. In case there shall arise the ques-
ton which of two or more ofsuch State tribu-
nails determining what electors have been ap-
pointed, as mentioned in section of the act,
Is the lawful tribunal of such State, the votes
regularly given of those electors and those
ShAy LIVE oetCu OtdLt Suall D6 counted whose
titles as electors the two houses acting separ-
ately, shall concurrently decide is supported
by the decision of the tribunal of such State
so provided for by its Legislature. In case
OF more than one return or paper purporting
to be return from State, if there shall
have been no such determination OF the
question in the State as aforesaid,
then those votes and those only shall be
counted which the two houses acting separ
ately shall concurrently decide to be
the lawful votes and those only shall be
counted which the two houses acting separ-
ately shall concurrently decide to be the law
ful votes Of the legally appointed electors of
such State. When the two houses have
voted they shall Immediately again meet and
the presiding officer shall then announce the
decision of the question submitted. No votes
or papers from any other State shall be acted
upon until the objections previously made to
the votes or papers from any State shall have
been disposed of.