1016                            Laws of Maryland                       Ch. 440

CHAPTER 440
(Senate Bill 177)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 12-1 of
Article 33 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1967 Replacement
Volume and 1969 Supplement), title "Election Code," subtitle
"Presidential Primaries and Conventions," providing for the pro-
cedure of selecting delegates to national conventions, the duties of
delegates and other matters generally relating thereto.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Section 12-1 of Article 33 of the Annotated Code of Maryland
(1967 Replacement Volume and 1969 Supplement), title "Election
Code," subtitle "Presidential Primaries and Conventions," be and it
is hereby repealed and re-enacted, with amendments, to read as
follows:

12-1

(a) The total number of delegates and alternate delegates to rep-
resent the respective political parties at their respective national
conventions shall be ascertained and determined by the governing
body of each party and certified to the Secretary of State not later
than the first day of March in each year in which national conven-
tions for the nomination of President and Vice-President are held.
The selection of delegates shall be as follows:

(1)  Election of District Delegates. Of the number of delegates
allotted to Maryland , WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THOSE PRO-
VIDED FOR IN PARAGRAPH (3) OF THIS SUBSECTION,
there shall be elected from each congressional district an equal
number of district delegates from the list of candidates certified
to the boards by the Secretary of State. In ascertaining the number
of delegates to be elected from each congressional district, the
Secretary of State shall determine the highest whole number that
can be multiplied by the current number of congressional districts
in Maryland to obtain a product closest to [75%] but not greater
than 100% of the delegates allotted to Maryland by the respective
national party committee. Each delegate may have placed adjacent
to his name on the ballot the name of a presidential candidate,
provided that the written permission of the presidential candidate
has been received by the Secretary of State at least 53 days prior
to the date of the primary election.

[(2) Election of Delegates by Party Convention. After the calcu-
lation of the number of elected district delegates, the State convention
of any national major political party shall elect the delegates at large
and their alternates in accordance with the lawful rules and practices
of the political party.]

(2)  Election of at-large delegates. After the election of the dis-
trict delegates in accordance with Section 12-1 (a) (1), those elected
district delegates from any national political party shall meet in
convention not more than 21 days after that election and shall elect,
as "At-Large Delegates", the remainder of delegates allotted to
Maryland by the respective national party committee and not elected
under Section 12-1 (a) (2).