No other ballot than the official ballot shall be used or counted, except that in case of failure to receive the ballots, or their destruction at such time as shall render it impracticable to procure from the Director of Printing a new supply, the provincial board or, if there be not time therefor, then the municipal council, shall procure from any available source another set which shall be as nearly like those prescribed in this section as circumstances will permit and which shall be uniform within each election precinct.

For each election precinct at least thirty sample ballots printed upon colored paper but in other respects like the official ballots shall be furnished the board of inspectors for posting and use in demonstrating how to fill out and fold the official ballots properly. Five of such sample ballots shall be posted in public places within the precinct, including one at the polling place. In such demonstration the names of actual candidates shall not be written on such ballots nor shall such ballots be used for voting nor counted.

The ballots shall be furnished by the Director of Printing at the expense of the municipality upon requisition therefor by the provincial treasurer in the usual form, which requisition shall be for such a number of ballots for each voting precinct as will provide one and one-half as many ballots as there were persons registered in the precinct at the last preceding election and ten per centum additional. In the case of newly-formed precincts the requisition shall be for a number of ballots in like proportion to the estimated number of qualified voters in the precinct as adopted by the council under section eight hereof. The requisitions shall be forwarded at least two and one-half months before the date of the election. They shall also specify what offices are to be filled in each precinct. In the case of special elections the Executive Secretary shall require the Director of Printing to furnish the requisite ballots in the same quantities as were requisitioned for the last regular election and the cost of furnishing the same shall be a charge against the municipality to which furnished.

SEC. 21. Conduct of elections.-At all the elections held under the provisions of this Act the polls shall be open from seven o'clock in the morning until five in the afternoon, during which period not more than one member of the board of inspectors shall be absent at one time, and then for not to exceed twenty minutes at one time. The inspectors of election and poll clerks shall meet one-half hour before the time fixed for the opening of the polls at the place designated, and shall then and there have the ballot box, box for spoiled ballots, the ballots and all other supplies provided by law. At the opening of the polls the ballot box and box for spoiled ballots shall be opened by the chairman, emptied and exhibited to all the members and other voters present, and, being empty, shall be closed, locked, and a seal placed over the lock, and the boxes shall be kept closed and sealed until the polls are closed, when the ballot box shall be opened to count the votes: Provided, however, That when necessary to make room for more ballots the chairman may open the box in the presence of all the board and press down the ballots with his hands without removing any therefrom; he shall then close, lock and seal the box, as hereinbefore provided. In case of the destruction of the boxes or the failure to deliver them at the polling place, the board of inspectors

shall immediately provide other boxes or receptacles as nearly as possible adequate for the purposes for which intended. From the time the polls are opened until the votes are counted, and the result announced as hereinafter provided, no person other than members of the board of inspectors, or necessary police, Constabulary, or other peace officer who may be present at the request of the board to execute its orders, or to serve the process of a court, or to act as messenger, and voters receiving or depositing their ballots, shall be allowed within the guard rail in the polling place, nor shall any be or remain within thirty meters of the polls. No persons, other than voters while waiting to vote or voting, shall congregate or remain within the distance of thirty meters of the polling place, nor shall any person solicit votes or do any electioneering within such distance: Provided, however, That during the counting of the votes by the board, a number of qualified voters of the precinct, not to exceed six, who shall represent as evenly as possible the opposing candidates voted for, and be named by such candidates, shall be allowed within the polling place, but not within the guard rail, as watchers. Such watchers shall be allowed to freely witness the count and to hear the proceedings of the board and to take notes of what they see and hear, but shall not touch the ballots nor converse with the inspectors nor any of them, nor with each other in such manner as to interfere with or interrupt the proceedings. No member of the board or election officer shall, before the announcement of the result, make any statement of the number of ballots cast, the number of votes given for any person, the name of any person who has voted or who has not voted, or of any other fact tending to show the state of the polls, nor shall he make any statement at any time, except as a witness before a court, tending to show how any person voted.

SEC. 22. Voting.-While the polls are open the voters who are entitled to vote and who have not already voted at that election may enter within the guard rail of the polling place in such order that, besides the persons lawfully in such place for purposes other than voting, there shall not be within said place at any one time more than twice as many voters as there are voting booths therein. Upon entering the voter shall give to one of the inspectors his name and residence together with such other information concerning himself as should appear on the registry list and may be requested of him by any of the inspectors. Said inspector shall then distinctly announce the voter's name and residence in a tone loud enough to be plainly heard throughout the polling place. If such person be entitled to vote and be not challenged, or, if challenged and the same be decided in his favor, the poll clerk shall deliver to him one ballot correctly folded. No person other than an inspector or poll clerk shall deliver to any person any official ballot, and no inspector shall deliver or permit to be delivered any official ballot to any person other than a voter at the time of voting, as herein provided, nor more than one ballot to such voter at one time.

The voter on receiving his ballot shall forthwith retire alone to one of the empty polling booths and shall there prepare his ballot by writing in the proper space for each office the name of the person for whom he desires to vote. A voter otherwise qualified who declares

that he can not write, or that from blindness or other physical disability he is unable to prepare his ballot, may make an oath to the effect that he is so disabled and the nature of his disability and that he desires one or two of the inspectors named by him to assist him in the preparation of such ballot. The board shall keep a record of all such oaths taken which shall show the name or names of the inspector or inspectors assisting the voter and file the same with the municipal secretary with the other records of the board after the election. The inspector or inspectors so named as aforesaid shall retire with the voter and prepare his ballot according to his wishes. The information thus obtained shall be regarded as a privileged communication. No voter shall be allowed to occupy a booth already occupied by another voter, or to occupy a booth more than eight minutes in case there are voters waiting to occupy booths, or to speak or converse with anyone other than as herein provided while within the polling place. It shall be unlawful to erase any printing from the ballot or to add any distinguishing feature thereto, or to intentionally tear or deface the same, or to make any mark thereon other than the names of the candidates voted for.

If a voter shall soil or deface a ballot so that it can not lawfully be used, he shall surrender the same to the poll clerk, who shall, if necessary, give him, one at a time, not to exceed two more. Each ballot given to a voter shall be announced to the inspectors and a record thereof kept opposite the name of the voter in the registry list in a column provided for that purpose. Each spoiled ballot, as soon as returned, and without opening, shall be distinctly marked "spoiled on the indorsement fold thereof and immediately placed in a ballot box similar to the official ballot box, which shall be plainly marked "spoiled ballots," together with the name of the municipality and number of the election precinct in which used, which shall be used for no other purpose and which shall be kept locked, and at the close of election be sealed up and delivered to the municipal secretary.

No ballot, spoiled or otherwise, shall be taken from the polling place, except as hereinafter provided. After properly preparing his ballot, the voter shall immediately return to the poll clerk, who shall again announce his name and residence, and the chairman of the board shall receive the ballot and without exposing the contents, shall deposit it in the ballot box in the presence and view of the voter. The fact that he has voted shall be recorded by placing a mark opposite the voter's name on each of the registry lists in a column provided for that purpose. The voter shall then depart.

SEC. 23. Challenges. Any qualified voter of the election precinct, if he believes that any person who is not registered is offering or attempting to vote, or to vote in the name of another, or to vote illegally in any manner, may challenge the vote of such person, and the board shall thereupon take the oath of such person, or otherwise satisfy itself that he is or is not a registered voter in said precinct. For the purpose of receiving and counting the vote it shall be sufficient if the person challenged shall prove that he is the identical person duly registered as hereinbefore provided; but the reception and counting of the vote shall not be conclusive upon any court of the legality of the registration or voting in an action against such person for illegal registration or voting.

If the person so offering to vote shall be challenged, the following additional oath shall be administered by one of the inspectors:

"You do swear (or affirm) that you have not received or offered, do not expect to receive, have not paid, offered or promised to pay, contributed, offered or promised to contribute to another, to be paid or used, any money or other valuable thing or consideration as a compensation or reward for the giving or withholding of a vote at this election, and have not made any promise to influence the giving or withholding of any such vote; and that you have not made, or become directly or indirectly interested in any bet or wager depending upon the result of this election."

The inspectors of election shall keep a minute of their proceedings in respect to the challenging and administering of oaths to persons offering to vote, in which shall be entered, by one of them, the name of every person who shall be challenged, specifying in each case whether either of the oaths herein prescribed were taken. At the close of the election, at each polling place, the inspectors thereat shall add to such minutes a certificate to the effect that the same are all such minutes as to all persons challenged at such election, and shall file the same with the registry lists and statements of result as hereinafter provided.

SEC. 24. Counting of votes; announcement of results.-As soon as the polls of an election are closed the board of inspectors shall publicly count the votes and ascertain the result, and not adjourn or postpone, the count until it shall be fully completed. They shall first compare the registry lists and ascertain the number of persons who have voted as shown thereon. They shall then open the ballot box of unspoiled ballots and count the ballots found therein without unfolding them or exposing their contents, except so far as to ascertain that each ballot is single, and shall compare the number of ballots found in the box with the number shown by the registry lists to have been deposited therein. If the ballots found in the box shall be more than the number of ballots so shown to have been voted, the ballots shall all be replaced, without being unfolded, in the box from which they were taken and shall be thoroughly mingled therein and one of the inspectors designated by the board shall, without seeing the same and with his back to the box, publicly draw out as many ballots as shall be equal to such excess, and without unfolding them place them in a package which shall be then and there securely sealed and marked "excess ballots," together with the signatures of the inspectors, which package shall be returned in the box with the other ballots and shall not be opened except as hereinafter provided. If in the course of the above-mentioned count two or more ballots shall be found folded together in such manner that they must have been so folded before being placed in the box, then they shall be removed therefrom and counted as a portion of the excess number herein before mentioned. In case ballots marked "spoiled" are found in the ballot box they shall be placed with the spoiled ballots. The ballots shall then be opened and examined for marked ballots, and if any such be found they shall be placed in a package securely sealed and inscribed marked ballots" together with the signatures of the inspectors and be returned in the same manner as provided for excess ballots. Marked ballots shall in no case be counted, and a majority vote of

the board shall be sufficient to determine whether any ballot is marked or not. In case any ballot or ballots shall be objected to by any inspector as marked and the board shall decide against such objection, such ballot or ballots shall be counted but shall be marked upon the indorsement fold in such manner as not to obliterate the feature objected to, with the words, "objected to by (adding the name of the objecting inspector) as marked," and all such ballots, after the count, shall be placed in another separate package and returned iu all respects as herein provided for marked ballots. No ballot that is not an official ballot shall be counted, except such as are voted in accordance with the provisions of section twenty.

The board shall then proceed to count the votes in manner following: The ballots shall be arranged in piles in front of the chairman, who shall take them one by one and read therefrom, in the order in which they appear thereon, the names of the persons voted for, and as soon as read shall hand them to one of the other inspectors, who shall be previously selected for that purpose by the board and shall be of the political party opposite to the chairman, if two parties are represented on the board, who shall verify the reading of the chairman. The other inspector and the clerk shall keep tally sheets upon forms which shall be prepared by the Executive Secretary for the purpose and furnished by the Director of Printing, on which they shall record as read, the names of all persons voted for for each office and of the number of votes received by each. At the conclusion of the count the totals shall be verified by the chairman and the other inspector, and in case of disagreement a recount shall be made for such offices as may be necessary. The tally sheets shall not be changed or destroyed and shall be returned with the ballots in the ballot box. All counting shall be made in plain view of the watchers. Upon the completion of the count the inspectors shall make and sign a written statement thereof in quadruplicate, showing the date of the election, the name of the municipality and the number of the precinct in which it was held, the whole number of ballots cast for each person for each office, the whole number of ballots rejected as marked, and the whole number objected to because marked but not rejected, writing out at length in words and at the end thereof a certificate signed by the inspectors to the effect that the statement is in all respects correct. Every such statement shall be made upon a single sheet of paper, or if not so made, each sheet thereof shall be signed at the end thereof by the inspectors. Forthwith thereafter one copy thereof shall be filed with the municipal secretary, one shall be securely sealed and forwarded by the board by mail or special messenger to the provincial board, and one shall be securely sealed and forwarded by the board to the Executive Secretary. The ballots, together with the packages hereinbefore referred to, shall be returned to the ballot box, which shall be securely locked and sealed and returned to the municipal secretary together with such statements. The spoiled ballots shall be returned to the spoiled-ballot box, if removed therefrom, and such box, similarly locked and sealed, shall be likewise returned. The unused ballots shall all be placed in a sealed package, marked with the date of the election, name of the municipality and the number of the district, and similarly returned.

Upon the completion of such count and of the statements of the result thereof, the chairman of the board of inspectors shall make