election day by the inspector whose register was filed as herein. provided by said chairman. Any person who shall alter, mutilate, destroy or remove from the place of registration the public copy of such registration, shall be guilty of a felony, and shall be punished upon conviction thereof by imprisonment in a state prison for not less than two nor more than five years, unless otherwise provided by law. If, in cities, the board of inspectors shall meet on the second Saturday before the election for the purpose of revising and correcting the register of electors in pursuance of an order of the supreme court, a justice thereof or a county judge, as provided in section thirty-one of the election law, the inspectors shall certify forthwith to the officer with whom the copy of the register is filed, the change or changes made upon such register in pursuance of such order. At any revision of registration for an election other than a general election, the quadruplicate register of electors for the last preceding general election shall be furnished to the inspectors of election by the officer or board having the custody thereof, and the inspectors shall certify to the officer or board in cities of the first class with whom the registers are filed, the changes, additions or alterations made in such registers for such election. In the cities of the first class at the close of the canvass of the votes of any election, or within twenty-four hours thereafter the two copies of the register of electors used by the inspectors and the public copy thereof shall be filed respectively with the superintendent of elections in the borough of Manhattan and with the chief of the branch bureau of elections in each other borough of The city of New York, in which the election district is located, and with the city clerk of Buffalo. In all election districts other than in cities of the first class, one copy of the register used on election day by the inspectors shall within twenty-four hours after the close of the election be filed in the office of the town or city clerk of the town or city in which such election district is, and the other copies with the county clerk. It shall be the duty of the officers with whom such registers of the election districts within the metropolitan elections district, are filed to forthwith file one copy of such register for each election district with the state superintendent of elections for the metropolitan elections district. Such register of electors shall be carefully preserved for use at any election which may be ordered or held in either of such counties or cities, respectively, prior

to the next ensuing general election, at which they may be required.

Subdivision 3. Certification of number enrolled.-At the close of registration on the fourth day in the election districts in cities and villages of five thousand inhabitants or more, and at the close of registration on the second day in other districts, the board of inspectors shall forthwith certify to the officer or board charged with the duty of furnishing ballots to such district, and in the election districts within the metropolitan elections district to the state superintendent of elections, the total number of electors enrolled in such district. In cities inspectors of each district shall also furnish to the police at the close of each day of registration, the total number of electors enrolled on such day, in their respective districts.

The police of the cities within the metropolitan elections district shall forthwith at the close of each day of registration file with the state superintendent of elections a certificate showing the total number of electors enrolled therein in the respective election districts thereof. (As amended by chap. 379 of 1897, 89 and chap. 630 of 1899, §§ 9-10.)

and 1901095

36. Subdivision 1. Delivery of blank books for registration certificates and instructions.-The secretary of state shall purchase wherever he deems it desirable for the best interests of the state, a suitable number of blank books for register of electors, with blank certificates and brief instructions for registering the names of electors therein, in the forms respectively provided in subdivisions one and two of section thirtytwo of the election law, at least four of such books for each board of inspectors in the state, and such number of extra copies thereof as in his judgment may be necessary for each county or city to replace lost or damaged registers before delivery to the inspectors. Such register of electors shall have the leaves thereof indexed with the letters of the alphabet, beginning with the letter "A" for the first leaf, and so on. He shall transmit such registers, certificates and instructions to the county clerk of each county, except those counties the whole of which are included within The City of New York; to each such county clerk a sufficient number thereof for the use of the boards of inspectors within his county and not within The City of New York, and to the superintendent of elections of The City of New York, located in the borough of Manhattan, and to the chief of the branch

bureau of elections in each other borough within The City of New York a sufficient number thereof for the use of each board of inspectors within said respective boroughs at least twenty days prior to the first day of registration for a general election in each year. The county clerk shall deliver such books to the town clerks of each town, and to the city clerk of each city in such county, by mail or otherwise, at least five days prior to the first day of registration, and such town clerk and city clerks, and the said superintendent and chiefs of bureaus of elections in The City of New York shall deliver such books to the inspectors of said boroughs, respectively, before the hour set for registering the names of electors on the first day of registration. On each day of registration, the police board of The City of New York, and the city clerk of Buffalo shall furnish to each board of inspectors in their respective cities, blanks for the list of electors provided for in subdivision three of section thirty-two of the election law.

Subdivision 2. Delivery of previous registers and poll books to inspectors.-Each town clerk with whom the register of the last preceding general election in any election district, elsewhere than in a city or wholly within a village having five thousand inhabitants or more, shall have been filed, shall cause such register and one of the poll-books to be delivered to the board of inspectors of such district at the opening of its first meeting for the registration for any election. If a new election district shall have been formed in a town since such general election, the clerk of such town shall, before the first meeting for registration thereafter in such new election district, make a certified copy of each register for such general election of each election district out of which such new district shall have been formed, and shall cause such certified copy to be delivered to the board of inspectors of such new election district at the opening of such meeting for registration. Such board, at such meeting, shall place upon the register of electors all persons whose names are upon such copies who are qualified to vote in such election district at the election for which such meeting is held, except the names of persons who are required to personally appear for registration. If a new election district shall have been formed in a city since such general election, the clerk or board with whom the register of electors for such last preceding general election shall have been filed shall, before the meeting of the inspectors

Primaries, Conventions and Nominations.

§§ 50-51

of election of such new district for registration for any other election, make a certified copy of each register of electors for such last preceding general election of each election district out of which such new election district is formed, and the inspectors of such new election district shall, at such meeting for registration for such election, place upon the register of electors the names of all persons upon such copies who are qualified to vote in such election district at the election for which such meet ing is held. (As amended by chap. 379 of 1897, § 10.)

ARTICLE III.

PRIMARIES, CONVENTIONS AND NOMINATIONS.

SECTION 50. Definitions of primary and convention.

51. Notice of primary.

52. Organization and conduct of primaries.

53. Qualifications of voters at primaries.

54. Duties of chairman of primary.

55. Watchers and canvass of votes at primaries.

56. Party nominations; choice of emblem for ballots.

57. Independent nominations.

58. Places of filing certificates of nominations.

59. Times of filing certificates of nominations.

60. Certification of nominations of secretary of state.

61. Publication of nominations.

62. Lists for town clerks and aldermen.

63. Posting town and village nominations.

64. Declination of nominatiɔn.

65. Objections to certificates of nominations.

66. Filling vacancies in nominations and correction of certificates.

50. Definitions of primary and convention.-As used in this article, a convention is an assemblage of delegates representing a political party or independent body, duly convened for the purpose of nominating candidates for office, electing delegates to conventions, electing officers for party organizations, or for the transaction of any other business relating to the affairs or conduct of the party or independent body; and a primary is any other assemblage of voters of a political party or independent body duly convened for any such purpose.

§ 51. Notice of primary. --No primary shall be held in a city or village having a population of over five thousand, as

shown by the last state or federal enumeration, unless at least two days' notice thereof shall be published in a daily newspaper in such city or village, of the same politics with the political party giving the notice at least twice; but if no such newspaper is published in the same city or village where such primary is to be held, such notice shall be published in a weekly newspaper, if any, in such city or village of the same politics of the political party giving the notice before such primary is held. But if no such daily or weekly newspaper be so published in such city or village, such notice shall be posted in at least six public places in such city or village at least two days prior to the holding of such primary. Such primary shall be opened at such hour between nine o'clock in the forenoon and nine o'clock in the afternoon, as may be prescribed by the political party or independent body holding the same. Elsewhere than in such a city or village, every primary shall be called and held pursuant to notice given according to the regulations and usages of the political party or independent body holding it.

§ 52. Organization and conduct of primaries. Every primary held by any political party or independent body for the purpose of choosing candidates for office, or the election of delegates to conventions, or for the purpose of electing officers of any political party or independent body, shall be presided over and conducted by officers to be selected in the manner prescribed by the rules or regulations of the political party or independent body holding such primary. If the rules and regulations of the political party or independent body calling it so require, or if it shall be, by a vote of the electors present, so resolved, or, if it be in a city or village having a population of over five thousand according to the last preceding federal or state enumeration, and five qualified electors of the district where it is held, belonging to the political party calling it, shall serve upon the secretary or chairman of the general committee of the party, or of its organization in such city or village, or upon the chairman of the district committee, a written demand, stating that they so require it, the following additional requirements, or such of them as may be specified ir such demand, shall be complied with:

1. The chairman and other officers shall take the constitutional oath of office.

2. Candidates and delegates and officers of the organization o committee shall be chosen by ballot.