Year: 1874

, o clock meridian Of the second day
, after the election, deliver said return
together with the return sheet, to
tho Prothonotary Of tho Court Of
Common Pleas Of the county, which
said return shall be fled, and the day
and hour Of fling marked thereon,
and shall be preserved by the Pro>
thonotary for public spection. At
twelve o'clock on the said second day
following any election, the Prothon
otSry Of the Court of Common Pleas
sliNll present the said returns to the
court. In counties where there is
no resident President Judge, the As


sociate Judges shall perform the du


ties imposed upon the Court Of
Common Pleas, which shall convene


for said purpose The returns pre-
sented by the Prothonotary shall be
opened by said court, and computed
by such of its officers and such sworn
assistants as the court shall appoint,


in presence of the Judge or judges Of
said court, and the returns certified
and certificates Of election issued un-
der the seal of the court, as is now


required to be done by return judg-
es, and the vote 80 computed and
certified shall be made q matter Of
record in said court. The sessions
of the safd court shall be open TO
the public, and in case the return of
any election districts shall be missing
when the returns are presented or in
case of complaint Of q qualified cleo
tor under oath, charging palpable
fraud or mistake, aud particularly
specifying the alleged fraud or mis-
take, where fraud or mistake is ap-
parent on the return, the court shall
examine the return, and il, in the
judgement of tho court, it shall be
necessary to just return said court
shall issue summary process against


the election officers aud overseers, if
any, of the election district com.
planned of, to bring them forthwith
into court, with all election papers
in their possession, aud il palpable
mistake or fraud be discovered it
shall, upon such hearing as may be
deemed necessary to enlighten the
court, be corrected by the court, and
so certified; but all allegations of
palpable fraud or mistake shall be
decided by the said court within
three days after the day the returns
are brought into court for computa.
ton, and the said inquiry shall bc di-
rected only to palpable fraud or mis-
take. and shall not be deemed a ju-
dicial adjudication to conclude any
contest now or hereafter to be pro
vided by law; and the other of said


triplicate returns shall be placed in
the box and sealed up with the bal
lots. Nothing in this act shall re-
quire the returns Of election Of town
ship or borough officers to be made
to the court, us directed in this Sec
ton, but all returns of election Of
township and borough officers shall
be enclosed in sealed cover direct
ed to the prothonotary of the Court


of Common Pleas OF the proper
county, and shall, by some one of
them, be delivered into his office
within three days after every such


election and filed therein. In coun-
ties where thSre are three or more
Judges of said court, learned in the
law, at least two judges shall sit to
compute and certify returns, unless
unavoidably prevented. If any of
the said judges shall himself be q
candidate for any Office at any cleo
ton, he shall not sit with the court,
or act in counting the returns Of


such election, and in such cases tho
other judges, if any, shall net, and if
in any county there shall be no Judge
qualified to hold the said court un-
der the provisions of this act present
and able to act then, aud in every
such case the Register Of Wills, the
Sheriff and the County Commission.
ers Of the proper county shall be and
constitute board, who, or q majori-
ty of whom shall have, and exercise
all the powers and perform all the
duties vested in, or required to be
performed by the Court of Common
Pleas Of such county, by and under
the provisions of this section, but
none Of the said officers shall act as
a member Of such board when him
self candidate for any offie at the
election, the returns OF which the
said board is required to count un


der the provisions Of this section.


The returns required by this act to
be presented by the Prothonotary Of
the Courts of Common Pleas OF the
counties of Philadelphia and Allie
l gheny, respectively, shall be pre-


sented to such three or more of the
Judges of the several Courts of
Common Pleas Of said counties, re-
spectively, as the judges Of said
courts, or majority of them, may
designate to perform the duty of re-
ceiving, computing and certifying
said returns. When two or more
counties are connected for the cleo,
ton of any officer. the courts of
such counties shall each appoint re-
turn Judge to meet at such time and
place as required by law to compute
, and certify the vote Of such districts.
All officers provided for by this act
. shall be compensated as like officers
are paid by existing laws. Whenev.
or q place has been or shall be pro-


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