ALBERT C. RITCHIE, GOVERNOR. 763

by the clerks having charge thereof in regular succession
under the proper heading, the number of each voter being
placed opposite his name in the column headed "Number, "
but if the vote of any person whose name has been entered
on the poll books shall be afterwards rejected by the
judges, the clerks shall thereupon draw a line through his
name and number and continue said list, if there be any
other voters, as if the same had not been entered.

609. The voting at said elections for Mayor and City
Councilmen, or upon any proposition submitted to the qual-
ified voters of said town, shall commence at eight o'clock
A. M. and continue until seven o'clock P. M. as hereinbe-
fore provided; and after the inspection of the ballot box
and tickets by the judges and clerks of election and the
ballot box shall have been locked, all qualified voters of
the said town offering to vote and whose names appear
upon the said registration books shall be furnished an offi-
cial ballot with the initials of one of the judges thereon,
after having answered such questions relating to his iden-
tity and right to vote as the judges of election may think
proper, and repair to one of the booths or compartments
provided for voters and mark his ballot with the pencil
therein provided and as hereinbefore required, when he
shall fold his ticket without displaying the marks thereon,
and return it to one of the judges of election, who shall de-
posit it in the ballot box; provided, however, that any
voter who shall spoil a ballot so he cannot vote it may, on
returning said spoiled ballot to the judge holding the bal-
lots, receive another in its stead; and should he spoil the
second ballot, he shall upon returning the same to the offi-
cer aforesaid, be entitled to receive a third ballot, which
said spoiled ballot shall be immediately cancelled by en-
dorsing thereon the word "spoiled, " which ballots shall be
preserved and included in the election returns. Every
voter who does not vote the 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; and
no voter shall be allowed over seven minutes in which to
vote.

610. Immediately upon the closing of the polls the
judges of election shall proceed to count the ballots, and
the counting or canvass thereof shall not be adjourned or
postponed until the count or canvass shall have been fully
completed; nor until the returns have been announced pub-