7 80/Maryland Manual

If an Act is passed less than 45 days prior to June 1, it
may not become effective sooner than 31 days after its
passage. To bring this Act to referendum, the first one-third
of the required number of signatures to a petition shall be
submitted within 30 days after its passage. If the first
one-third of the required number of signatures is submitted
to the Secretary of State within 30 days after its passage,
the time for the Act to take effect and for filing the
remainder of the signatures to complete the petition shall
be extended for an additional 30 days.

(c) In this Article, "pass" or "passed" means any final
action upon any Act or part of an Act by both Houses of
the General Assembly; and "enact" or "enacted" means
approval of an Act or part of an Act by the Governor.

(d) Signatures on a petition for referendum on an Act
or pan ofan Act may be signed at any time after the Act
or part ofan Act is passed.

SEC. 4.² A petition may consist of several papers,
but each paper shall contain the full text, or an accurate
summary approved by the Attorney General, of the Act or
part of Act petitioned. There shall be attached to each paper
of signatures filed with a petition an affidavit of the person
procuring those signatures that the signatures were affixed
in his presence and that, based upon the person's best
knowledge and belief, every signature on the paper is
genuine and bona fide and that the signers are registered
voters at the address set opposite or below their names.
The General Assembly shall prescribe by law the form of
the petition, the manner for verifying its authenticity, and
other administrative procedures which facilitate the peti-
tion process and which are not in conflict with this Article.

SEC. 5. (a) The General Assembly shall provide for
furnishing the voters of the State the text of all measures to
be voted upon by the people; provided, that until otherwise
provided by law the same shall be published in the manner
prescribed by Article XTVofthe Constitution for the pub-
lication of proposed Constitutional Amendments.

(b) All laws referred under the provisions of this Article
shall be submitted separately on the ballots to the voters of
the people, but if containing more than two hundred words,
the full text shall not be pnntcd on the official ballots, but
the Secretary of State shall prepare and submit a ballot tide
of each such measure in such form as to present the purpose
of said measure concisely and intelligently The ballot title
may be distinct from the legislative title, but in any case the
legislative tide shall be sufficient. Upon each of the ballots,
following the ballot ride or text, as the case may be, of each
such measure, there shall be printed the words "For the
referred law" and "Against the referred law," as the case may
be. The votes cast for and against any such referred law shall
be returned to the Govenor in the manner prescribed with
respect topioposcd amendments to the Constitution under
Article XlV of this Constitution, and the Governor shall
proclaim the result of the election, and, if it shall appear that
the majority of the votes cast on any such measure were cast

Article XVJI

in favor thereof, the Governor shall by his proclamation
declare the same having received a majority of the votes to
have been adopted by the people of Maryland as a part of
the laws of the State, to take effect thirty days after such
election, and in like manner and with like effect the Gover-
nor shall proclaim the result of the local election as to any
Public Local Law which shall have been submitted to the
voters of any County or of the City of Baltimore.

SEC. 6. No law, licensing, regulating, prohibiting,
or submitting to local option, the manufacture or sale of
malt or spirituous liquors, shall be referred or repealed
under the provisions of this Article.

ARTICLE XVII.²²⁷

QUADRENNIAL ELECTIONS.

SEC. I.²²³ The purpose of this Article is to reduce the
number of elections by providing that all State and county
elections shall be held only in every fourth year, and at the
rimc provided by law for holding congressional elections,
and to bring the terms of appointive officers into harmony
with the changes effected in the time of the beginning of
the terms of elective officers. The administrative and judi-
cial officers of the State shall construe the provisions of this
Article so as to effectuate that purpose. For the purpose of
this Article only the word "officers" shall be construed to
include those holding positions and other places of
employment in the State and county governments wliu!>c
terms are fixed by law, but it shall not include any appoint-
ments made by the Board of Public Works, nor appoint-
ments by the Governor for terms of three years.

SEC. 2.²²⁹ Vacant.

SEC. 3.²³⁰ All State and county officers elected by
qua lifted voters (except judges of the Circuit Courts, judges
of the Supreme Bench of Baltimore City, judges of the
Court of Appeals and judges of any intermediate courts of
appeal) shall hold office for terms of four years, and until
their successors shall qualify.

SEC. 4.²³¹ The term of office of all Judges and other
officers, for whose election provision is made by this
Constitution, shall, except in cases otherwise expressly
provided herein, commence from the rimc of their Election.
All such officers shall qualify as soon after their election as
practicable, and shall enter upon the duties of their respec-
tive offices immediately upon their qualification.

SEC. 5.²³² All officers to be appointed by the Gover-
nor shall hold office for the terms fixed by law. All officers
appointed by County Commissioners shall hold office for
terms of four years, unless otherwise duly changed by law.

SEC. 6.²³³ The terms of the members of the Board of
Supervisors of Elections of Baltimore City and of the
several counties shall commence on the first Monday of
June next ensuing their appointment.