694 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [Ch. 492]

71. The judges shall open the ballot-box and count and
announce the whole number of ballots in the box. They shall
reject any ballots which are deceitfully folded together, and any
ballots which do not have indorsed thereon the name or initial
of the judge who held the ballots, or if there shall be any mark
on the ballot other than the cross-mark in a square opposite the
name of a candidate or other than the name or names of any
candidates written by the voter on the ballot as provided in
section 53, such ballot shall not be counted. Ballots not counted
for such defects shall be marked "Defective" on the back thereof
and shall be wrapped in a separate package and returned to the
ballot-box as hereinafter directed. No vote shall be counted for
any candidate opposite whose name no cross-mark shall be
placed, and no ballot shall be rejected solely because any part
or portion of the cross-mark extends beyond the square, if the
point of intersection of the cross-mark is within the square, or
because the voter has marked more names than there are per-
sons to be elected to an office, but such ballots shall not be
counted for any candidate in the group of names so marked.
They shall open the ballots, and all of them shall be canvassed
separately by one of the judges sitting between two other judges,
which judge shall call out each name and the office for which
it is designated and the other judges looking at the ballot at
the same time, and the clerks making tally of the same. When
all the ballots have been canvassed in this manner, the election
clerks shall compare their tallies together and' ascertain the
total number of votes received by each candidate, and when
they agree upon the numbers, one of them shall announce in a
loud voice to the judges the aggregate number of votes received
by each candidate. If requested by any watcher or challenger
present at any canvass, it shall be the duty of the judges and
each of them to exhibit to such watcher or challenger any bal-
lot cast, fully opened or in such condition and manner that he
may fully read and examine the same, but the judges shall not
allow any ballot to be taken from their hands. As the ballots
are counted they shall be strung upon a strong twine; the afore-
going provisions to apply to Baltimore City, Baltimore county,
Garrett county, Allegany county, Washington county, Frederick
county, Carroll county, Harford county, Montgomery county,
Howard county, Prince George's county, Calvert county, Charles
county, St. Mary's county, Cecil county, Kent county, Queen
Anne's county, Talbot county, Caroline county, Dorchester
county, Wicomico county and Somerset county.

71A. This section shall apply only to Anne Arundel county
and Worcester county, in which counties the judges shall open