§ 34

Article II.

§ 34. General provisions.-Subdivision 1. Qualification of elector. A person is a qualified elector in any election district for the purpose of having his name placed on the regis ter if he is or will be, on the day of the election, qualified to vote at the election for which such registration is made. A qualified elector is a male citizen who is or will be on the day of election twenty-one years of age, who has been an inhabitant of the state for one year next preceding the election, and for the last four months a resident of the county, and for the last thirty days a resident of the election district in which he may offer his vote. If a naturalized citizen, he must, in addition to the foregoing provisions, have been naturalized at least ninety days prior to the day of election.

Subdivision 2. Residence of elector.-For the purpose of registering and voting no person shall be deemed to have gained or lost a residence, by reason of his presence or absence while employed in the service of the United States, nor while engaged in the navigation of the waters of this state, or of the United States, or of the high seas; nor while a student of any seminary of learning; nor while kept at any almshouse or other asylum, or institution wholly or partly supported at public expense, or by charity; nor while confined in any public prison. Any person claiming to belong to any class of persons mentioned and referred to in this subdivision shall file with the board of inspectors at the time of registration a written statement showing where he is actually domiciled, his business or occupation, his business address, and to which class he claims to belong. Such statement shall be attached to the register, and be open for public inspection, and the fact thereof shall be noted in the register opposite the name of the person so enrolled.

Subdivision 3. Illiterate and disabled electors.—If, at any meeting for the registration of electors, any person entitled to be registered, and of whom personal registration is required, shall declare to the board of inspectors at the time he applies for registration, that he is unable to write by reason of illiteracy, or that he will be unable to prepare his ballot without assistance by reason of blindness, or of such degree of blindness as will prevent him, with the aid of glasses, from seeing the names printed upon the official ballot, loss of both hands, or such total inability of both hands that he cannot use either hand for ordinary purposes, or that he will be unable to enter the voting booth with

out assistance by reason of disease or crippled condition, the nature of which he must specify, it shall be the duty of the said board of inspectors to administer an oath to such persson in the following language, namely: "You do solemnly swear (or affirm) that you will be unable to prepare your ballot without assistance, because," and after the word "because," continuing with a statement of the specific disease or crippled condition assigned by the person as the cause of his alleged disability, and the said inspectors and each of them shall make a note upon the register of each instance in which such oath is administered, and of the cause or reason so assigned.

Subdivision 4. Change of residence.-If any elector after being enrolled, shall change his place of residence within the same election district, he may appear before the board of inspectors of such district on any day of registration, or on the day of election, and state under oath that he has so changed his residence, and the board of inspectors shall thereupon make the proper correction upon the register of such district.

Subdivision 5. Whole day for registration.-No part of a day fixed for the registration of electors shall be deemed a holiday so as to affect any meeting or proceeding of the board of inspectors for registration.

Subdivision 6. Challenges to applicants for registration.- am1901c 544 The secretary of state shall prepare and cause to be printed on good writing paper in book form wherever he deems it desirable for the best interests of the state, at least two hundred blank challenge affidavits for each election district in cities and at least one hundred such blanks for each election district outside of cities and shall transmit to each county clerk, board or other officers to whom or which he is required to deliver the register of electors and at the same time and in the same manner as such register of electors are transmitted a sufficient number of such books of blank challenge affidavits as shall provide one such book for each board of inspectors in each county, and such officers shall transmit the said books to the respective boards of inspectors in the same manner and at the same time as the register of electors. Each challenge affidavit shall have a stub attached thereto and separated from such affidavit by a perforated line with a space on such stub for writing the name and the address of the challenged person and both the stub and affidavit shall bear the same printed number and such stubs and affidavits

in each book shall be numbered in consecutive order therein, beginning with number one. Such challenge affidavit shall be printed in the following form, to wit:

What is the name of the householder with whom you reside?..

What is the character of the house in which you reside?...

How old are you?..

Where were you born?....

If naturalized, give date of certificate.

Give name of court issuing certificate..

Give name of officer signing the certificate.

What is your occupation?....

What is the name of your present or last employer?.

Where is or was the place of business?...

Where did you last register or vote from?....

How long have you been an inhabitant of this state?

Where have you resided during the last four months? (Give

place or places of such residence.).

How long have you been a resident of this election district?....

Are you married or single?.....

(If married) where does your family reside?..

(If single) where do your parents reside?....

How long do you contemplate residing in this election district?

Have you made any bet or wager or are you directly or indirectly interested in any bet or wager depending on the result of the next ensuing election?....

Have you received or offered to receive, or do you expect to receive, any money or other valuable thing as a compensation or reward for registering or for giving your vote or refraining from voting at the next ensuing election?...

Have you 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 made any promise, to influence the giving or withholding of any vote at the next ensuing election?

Have you been convicted of bribery or of any infamous crime?.. If so; have you been pardoned and re

stored to all the rights of citizenship?... When?....

By whom?..

I, the undersigned, do hereby solemnly swear (or affirm) that the answers to the above questions were given by me and that they are true answers to such questions. (Signature of applicant)..

We, the undersigned, inspectors of election of the above designated election district, do hereby certify that the within named person did on this day make application to have his name enrolled upon the register of electors of the said election district; that he was challenged and was sworn and did make the answers set opposite the printed questions upon this affidavit and signed the same in our presence.

Any person who applies personally to any board of inspectors for registration for any election may be challenged by any quali fied elector present. If such applicant be so challenged or if any member of the board of inspectors shall have reason to suspect that such applicant is not entitled to have his name enrolled on such register, the chairman or any member of such board shall administer to such applicant the following oath: "You do solemnly swear (or affirm) that you will true answers make to the questions touching your qualifications as an elector and such other questions as may be put you tending to establish your identity," and any inspector shall thereupon read to such challenged person each and every question printed upon the challenge affidavit herein provided for and shall enter in ink opposite each such question the answer thereto given by such applicant. The applicant shall subscribe his name to such challenge affidavit, which shall also be subscribed to by the inspectors present, who shall certify over their names the fact that the applicant did apply for registration, that he was duly sworn and that the answers set opposite the printed questions are the true answers given to such question by the challenged applicant. Inspectors shall also enter in the place provided on the challenge affidavit a description of the person challenged. If the applicant shall by his answers satisfy a majority of the board of inspectors of his right to be registered, they shall enroll his name; if not, they shall point out to him the qualifications which he lacks as an elector and his name shall not be enrolled npon such register except as provided by section thirty-one of this act, and upon any such proceeding the challenge affidavit of such applicant shall be submitted in evidence to such court, justice or judge. If the applicant shall refuse to make oath to the questions put him or shall refuse to answer any question upon the challenge affidavit his name shall not be placed upon the register. At the close of each day of registration the inspectors of election shall detach the challenge affidavits signed by the persons challenged during the day and in cities shall deliver them to the police captain of the