ELECTIONS. 1245

ing election in November. The form of such affidavit shall be as follows:
State of Maryland, city or county of ————, set.: I hereby certify that on
this ———— day of ———— ———— before the subscriber, clerk of the cir-
cuit court for ———— county (or superior court of Baltimore city) person-
ally appeared ———— and made oath (or affirmation) in due form of law,
that on or about the ———— day of ———— he vacated and removed from
his habitation, dwelling place, domicile or abode, in the ———— precinct
of the ———— election district of ———— county (or of the ———— ward in
the ———— legislative district of Baltimore city) and took up his abode
out of the State. (Here insert particular designation of such new abode
by election district, precinct, ward, street and number whenever prac-
ticable) ; that notwithstanding such removal he does not intend thereby
to change his residence, but that he has a fixed and definite purpose to
return to this State on or before six months preceding the next succeeding
election in November; sworn to before me (signature of clerk, seal of
court). And if the persons making such affidavits, shall fail so to return
and take up their actual abode, domicile, dwelling place and habitation
in this State on or before six months next preceding such November election,
they shall be conclusively presumed to have abandoned such declared inten-
tion, and shall thereupon become disqualified to vote in this State, and the
officers of registration shall refuse to register them as qualified voters, or
shall strike off their names from the registry if their names be entered
thereon. The clerk before whom such affidavit shall be made shall retain,
index and record the same, and shall be entitled to demand and receive for
each affidavit sworn the sum of thirty cents, and for indexing and record-
ing the affidavit and acknowledgment thereto the same compensation as
allowed by law for indexing and recording deeds; such costs to be paid to
said clerks by the county commissioners and mayor and city council of
Baltimore, respectively. Such affidavits shall not be admissible in evidence
as evidence of the right of the persons making the same to registration
unless they are recorded within five days from the date of the acknowledg-
ments thereto, and a duly certified copy thereof shall be receivable in evi-
dence in the same manner as a certified copy of a deed. False swearing in
any of such affidavits shall be deemed to be perjury, and shall be punishable
as perjury is punishable by the code of public general laws, article 27, title
"Crimes and Punishments," sub-title " Perjury." Said officers of registra-
tion shall require the production of such affidavits duly recorded, or a duly
certified copy thereof in all cases where they have reason to suspect that the
person applying to be registered as a qualified voter has lost his residence
by reason of his removal from the State, as hereinbefore mentioned; and
they may also in such cases put any question which they may deem proper
to such applicant concerning the place where he dwelt in the county or
legislative district before such removal out of the State, his occupation
before such removal and since the time when he so removed, and when he
returned, and all other pertinent facts and circumstances touching the right
of such person to be registered, and they may require the truth of the
answers of all persons to such questions to be corroborated by independent