708/Maryland Manual

of the other article of the Constitution of which it, temporarily, is
a part.

SEC. 2.²⁰³ It shall be the duty of the General Assembly to
provide by Law for taking, at the general election to be held in the
year nineteen hundred and seventy, and every twenty years
thereafter, the sense of the People in regard to calling a
Convention for altering this Constitution; and if a majority of
voters at such election or elections shall vote for a Convention,
the General Assembly, at its next session, shall provide by Law
for the assembling of such convention, and for the election of
Delegates thereto. Each County, and Legislative District of the
City of Baltimore, shall have in such Convention a number of
Delegates equal to its representation in both Houses at the time at
which the Convention is called. But any Constitution, or change,
or amendment of the existing Constitution, which may be
adopted by such Convention, shall be submitted to the voters of
this State, and shall have no effect unless the same shall have been
adopted by a majority of the voters voting thereon.

ARTICLE XV.
MISCELLANEOUS.

SECTION I.²⁰⁴ Every person holding any office created by, or
existing under the Constitution, or Laws of the State, or holding
any appointment under any Court of this State, whose pay, or
compensation is derived from fees, or moneys coming into his
hands for the discharge of his official duties, or, in any way,
growing out of, or connected with his office, shall keep a book in
which shall be entered every sum, or sums of money, received by
him, or on his account, as a payment or compensation for his
performance of official duties, a copy of which entries in said
book, verified by the oath of the officer, by whom it is directed to
be kept, shall be returned yearly to the Comptroller of the State
for his inspection, and that of the General Assembly of the State,
to which the Comptroller shall, at each regular session thereof,
make a report showing what officers have complied with this
Section; and each of the said officers, when the amount received
by him for the year shall exceed the sum which he is by Law
entitled to retain, as his salary or compensation for the discharge
of his duties, and for the expenses of his office, shall yearly pay
over to the Treasurer of the State the amount of such excess,
subject to such disposition thereof as the General Assembly may
direct; if any of such officers shall fail to comply with the
requisitions of this section for the period of thirty days after the
expiration of each and every year of his office, such officer shall
be deemed to have vacated his office, and the Governor shall
declare the same vacant, and the vacancy therein shall be filled as
in the case of vacancy for any other cause, and such officer shall
be subject to suit by the State for the amount that ought to be
paid into the Treasury.

SEC. 2.²⁰⁵ Any elected official of the State, or of a county or of
a municipal corporation who during his term of office is
convicted of or enters a plea of no/o contenders to any crime
which is a felony, or which is a misdemeanor related to his public
duties and responsibilities and involves moral turpitude for which
the penalty may be incarceration in any penal institution, shall be
suspended by operation of law without pay or benefits from the
elective office. During and for the period of suspension of the
elected official, the appropriate governing body and/or official
authorized by law to fill any vacancy in the elective office shall
appoint a person to temporarily fill the elective office, provided
that if the elective office is one for which automatic succession is
provided by law, then in such event the person entitled to succeed

Article XVI

to the office shall temporarily fill the elective office. If the
conviction becomes final, after judicial review or otherwise, such
elected official shall be removed from the elective office by
operation of Law and the office shall be deemed vacant. If the
conviction of the elected official is reversed or overturned, the
elected official shall be reinstated by operation of Law to the
elective office for the remainder, if any, of the elective term of
office during which he was so suspended or removed, and all pay
and benefits shall be restored.

SEC. S.²⁰⁶ No person who is a member of an organization that
advocates the overthrow of the Government of the United States
or of the State of Maryland through force or violence shall be
eligible to hold any office, be it elective or appointive, or any
other position of profit or trust in the Government of or in the
administration of the business of this State or of any county,
municipality or other political subdivision of this State.

SEC. 4.²⁰⁷ Vacant.

SEC. 5.²⁰⁸ Except as the Constitution provides otherwise for
any office, the General Assembly may provide by law for a person
to act in place of any elected or appointed officer of the State who
is unavailable to perform the duties of his office because he has
become unable or is or will be absent.

SEC. 6.²¹" Vacant.

SEC. 7.²¹⁰ All general elections in this State shall be held on the
Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of Nov., in the
year in which they shall occur.

SEC. 8.²" Vacant.
SEC. 9.²'² Vacant.
SEC. 10. ²¹³ Vacant.
SEC. 11. •"⁴ Vacant.
ARTICLE XVI.²¹⁵
THE REFERENDUM.

SECTION 1. (a) The people reserve to themselves power
known as The Referendum, by petition to have submitted to the
registered voters of the State, to approve or reject at the polls, any
Act, or part of any Act of the General Assembly, if approved by
the Governor, or, if passed by the General Assembly over the veto
of the Governor;

(b) The provisions of this Article shall be self-executing;
provided that additional legislation in furtherance thereof and not
in conflict therewith may be enacted.