21. From and after January 1, 1955, there shall be in the
third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh circuits at least one
judge for each county, who shall be a resident of the county
in which he shall hold office, and who shall be elected by the
voters thereof, to be styled judges of the Circuit Court, to
be elected or appointed as herein provided. The number of
judges for any of the circuits or for any of the counties may
be increased or decreased by the General Assembly from
time to time, and any vacancy so created shall be filled as
provided in Section 5 of this Article except that in the third,
fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh judicial circuits there shall
never be less than one judge for each county and in all of
the circuits there shall never be less than three for each
circuit. The senior judge in length of service shall be the
chief judge of the circuit; the other judge or judges shall
be associate judges. In the first and second judicial circuits
no two of said judges of the Circuit Court shall at the time
of their election or appointment, or during the term for
which they may have been elected or appointed, reside in
any one county. In the first and second judicial circuits, in
case any candidate or candidates for judge at any election
shall receive sufficient votes to cause such candidate or can-
didates to be declared elected, but the election of such. candi-
date or candidates would cause more judges than herein per-
mitted to reside in any county of the circuit, then and in
that event there shall be declared elected only that candi-
date or those candidates residing in said county, in the order
of the votes received, whose election would provide the per-
mitted number of judges from said county, and also the can-
didate or candidates residing in some other county, and not
similarly disqualified, who shall have the next highest num-
ber of votes in said election. If, by reason of such a condi-
tion or by reason of an equal vote for two or more candi-
dates a sufficient number of judges duly qualified as to resi-
dence shall not be elected at any election, then it shall be the
duty of the Governor to order a new election for such
unfilled office or offices. From and after December 1, 1954,
there shall be not less than three judges resident in Mont-
gomery County and not less than two judges resident in
Anne Arundel County, [and in Prince George's County,]
and not less than three judges resident in Baltimore County.
From and after December 1, 1960, there shall be not less
than three FOUR judges resident in Prince George's County.
[The vacancies in Garrett, Montgomery, and Prince George's
County created by the adoption of this amendment shall be
filled as provided in Section 5 of this Article.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this article the
vacancies in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, and St. Mary's Coun-