shall be a public charge, and the same, after the election is over, shall be preserved by the Supervisors of Elections for subsequent use.

60. As soon as the polls are opened, and immediately before any ballots are received by the judges, they shall open every ballot-box used or to be used, and, having taken therefrom the poll-books, ballots and all the blanks and stationery provided by the Supervisors of Elections, they shall permit all persons rightfully present to examine such ballot-box and every part thereof, so that they may be satisfied as to the structure thereof, and that such ballot-box is empty. The ballot-box shall then be locked and the key delivered to one of the judges, and shall not again be opened until the closing of the polls; and until such closing each ballot-box shall be kept constantly in sight of all persons entitled to be present, and shall be so placed that the voter offering his ballot, and the judges and clerks, and all persons entitled to be present, may conveniently see every ballot deposited therein. The sealed package of ballots shall not be opened until after the ballot-box shall have been so examined, closed and locked by the judges.

61. At every election each qualified voter shall be entitled to receive one official ballot. The person applying therefor to the judge of election holding the ballots shall give his name and residence, and said judge shall repeat the same in a loud and distinct voice, and if such name be found upon the registers by the judges having the custody thereof, they shall repeat the said name and the voter shall be allowed to enter the space enclosed by the guard-rail, and the judge holding the ballots, having first written in ink the voter's name and number upon the coupon attached to one of them, shall deliver said ballot to the voter after having likewise written in ink his own name or initials upon the back thereof, and the two clerks of election shall at the same time enter the number and name of the voter upon their poll - books. Upon receipt of his ballot the voter shall forthwith and without leaving the enclosed space, retire alone to one of the booths or compartments

and prepare his baliot by marking with a pencil or stamp after the name of the person or persons for whom he intends to vote, and to the right thereof, in the blank space provided therefor, a cross-for example, X; and in case of a question submitted to a vote of the people, by marking likewise in the appropriate space a cross against the answer which he desires to give. Any voter who desires to vote for an entire group may mark a cross as above described in the appropriate space after the emblem or name of the political organization above such group. Not more than one voter shall be permitted to occupy any one booth or compartment at one time, and no voter shall remain in or occupy a booth longer than may be necessary to prepare his ballot, and in no event longer than five minutes, in case all of such booths or compartments are in use and other voters are waiting to occupy the same. Before leaving the voting, booth or compartment the voter shall fold his ballot without displaying the marks thereon, in the same way it was folded when received by him, and he shall keep the same so folded until he has voted, and so that the signature or initials of the judge from whom he received it and the name and number written on the coupon thereof, but nothing else thereon, may be seen. He shall then forthwith hand his said ballot to the judge at the ballot-box, and shall give his name and residence, and upon his being identified as the person who received said ballot, the judge shall deposit his ballot in the box, having first detached therefrom its coupon which he shall then string upon a cord or wire to be provided for the purpose, and the said voter shall forthwith leave the enclosed space. The judges having charge of the registers shall then, in the column therein headed "Voted," in the same line with the name of the voter, mark the word Voted," or the letter "V". No ballot without the endorsement of the name or initials of the judge thereon, as hereinbefore provided, shall be deposited in said ballot-box or counted in the counting of said ballots.

62. Any voter who declares under oath to the judges of election that he cannot read or write, or that by reason of physical disability he is unable to mark his ballot, and who shall have stated such inability at the time of registering, and is so entered on the registry, shall receive the assistance of the clerks in preparing the same in the manner following: Such voter, after making such oath, may require one of the clerks to read to him the contents of the ballot, so that the voter can ascertain the position of the names of the candidates on each ballot. The clerk so requested shall read said ballot to such voter in the presence of the other clerk, whereupon the voter shall retire to one of the booths or compartments and prepare his ballot in the manner hereinbefore provided, or such voter may request one of said clerks, in the presence of the other, to mark the names of the candidates for whom he shall desire to vote, or to mark a group, should said voter desire to vote for an entire group. Affidavits of such voters shall contain a statement of the name and registered address of the voter and of the special reason why he is unable to mark his ballot and how long such disability has existed; and blanks for such affidavits shall be furnished by the Supervisors of Elections in sufficient numbers for each polling place, and all such affidavits shall be returned with the poll-books.

The

63. Any voter who shall, by accident or mistake, spoil his ballot so that he cannot conveniently vote the same, may, on returning said spoiled ballot to the judge holding the ballot, receive another in place of it, with his name and the same number written on the coupon thereof, as on the ballot so returned, but no voter shall receive more than three ballots from said judge for the reason aforesaid. ballots thus returned shall be immediately cancelled by endorsing thereon the word "spoiled," and, together with those not distributed to the voters, shall be preserved and returned to the Supervisors of Election, as hereinafter provided. Every voter who does not vote any ballot delivered to him shall, before leaving the polling place, return such ballot to the judge from whom he received it, and said

returned ballot shall be retained as if said ballot had been spoiled. When any one claiming to be a person whose name appears upon the registers shall make application for a hallot, his right to vote at that election may be challenged, but shall not be determined until after he has marked his ballot and delivered it to the judge at the ballot-box. The person challenging shall assign his reason therefor, and one of the judges shall thereupon administer to the person offering to vote an oath to make true answers to questions, and if he shall take said oath he shall be questioned by the judge or judges touching said cause of challenge, and he may also be questioned by the person challenging him in regard thereto, and if a majority of the judges are of opinion that he is the person so registered, his vote shall be received accordingly. No one who is not registered as a qualified voter of the precinct shall be entitled to vote or to receive a ballot, but no vote shall be rejected because of an error in the spelling of the voter's name or because of the wrongful omission or addition of one or more initials of his middle name or names, or because of an error in the number of his residence on the register, provided a majority of the judges are satisfied that the person offering to vote is the identical person who is registered, and that he intended to register his true name and residence. Unless a majority of the judges are of the opinion that the person so challenged is entitled to vote, the judge at the ballot-box shall endorse upon his ballot the word "rejected," and return the same, still folded and with its coupon attached, to the judge holding the ballots, and the clerks of election shall draw a line through the name and number of said person, as entered on their poll-books, and write thereafter the word "rejected," or if for any other reason a person who has received a ballot, shall leave the polling place without voting, they shall likewise draw a line through his name and number on the poll-books, and write thereafter the words "did not vote." All ballots returned to the judge holding the ballots shall be immediately strung by him upon a cord or wire provided for the purpose, still folded

and with the coupons still attached, and each endorsed upon the back thereof with the words "spoiled" or "rejected" or "not voted," as the case may be, and all such ballots shall be returned to the Supervisors of Election, as hereinafter provided.

COUNT OF THE BALLOTS.

64. As soon as the election polls shall have been closed the judges in their several precincts shall immediately and at the place of polling proceed, as herein before provided, to canvass the votes cast. The canvass shall not be adjourned or postponed until it shall have been fully completed, nor until the several statements hereinafter required to be made by the judges and clerks shall have been made out, signed and sealed by them. The judges shall have the right to station police officers or officers of the peace within the room wherein such canvass is made, in order to keep the peace. The challengers and watchers shall be allowed to be present, inside the guard-rail, and so near that they can see that the judges and clerks are faithfully performing their duties.

65. Immediately after the closing of the polls, before the ballot-box is opened, all the coupons taken from the ballots cast shall be destroyed, and each of the election clerks shall write his name in each of the poll-books, immediately under the name of the last voter, and the judges shall write in ink opposite to, and against the name of, each person entered in their registers who is not shown by said registers to have voted, and in the appropriate column headed "Voted," the word "No," so that the said column may be wholly filled up, and the judges shall then compare the registers, make them agree, and ascertain the number of persons who, by said registers, are shown to have voted at that polling place on that day; and when they have made comparison and ascertained such fact, they shall announce the same in a loud voice.

66. The judges shall then open the ballot-box and count and announce the whole number of ballots in the box.