ELECTIONS. 1267

of the peace, or for any breach of the election laws, or any interference
with the progress of an election, or of the canvass of the ballots; and it shall
be the duty of all officers of the law present to obey the order of any judge
of election, and an officer making an arrest by the direction of any judge
shall be protected in so doing as fully as if a warrant had been issued to
him to make such arrest.

An. Code, sec. 63. 1904, sec. 61. 1896, ch. 202, sec. 56. 1920 (special session), ch. 1, sec. 63.

1922, ch. 305. 1924, ch. 594.

69. The polling places shall be opened by the judges of election at 6
o'clock A. M. in the City of Baltimore, and shall be kept open until 5
o'clock P. M. of the same day, at which time the polls shall be closed, and
in the Counties the polling places 'shall be opened at 7 A. M. and shall be
kept open until 7 P. M., at which time the polls shall be closed; except
that in Garrett, Washington, Carroll, Montgomery, Calvert, Dorchester,
Delmar District of Wicomico and Precinct No. 2, District No. 3 of Worces-
ter County, the polling places shall be open at six o'clock A. M., and in
Talbot County the polling places shall not be opened until 8 A. M. If any
judge or clerk shall not be present at the expiration of fifteen minutes
after the time for opening the polls the judge or judges present shall fill
the place of the absent judge or clerk by appointing in his stead a person
of the same political party as the absentee. One of the judges shall ad-
minister to such substitute the oath required of the judge or clerk originally
appointed. After the opening of the polls no judge or clerk shall absent
himself therefrom until all the ballots cast shall have been counted and
the returns completed. If, in case of absolute necessity, any judge or clerk
in attendance shall be compelled to absent himself, he shall appoint some,
fit person of the same political party with himself to act in his stead until
his return, having first administered to such substitute the same oath as he
himself has taken. Blank forms for the appointment of the substitute
judges and clerks and the oath aforesaid shall be supplied by the Super-
visors, and the oath when administered shall be preserved and returned by
the judges to the supervisors. The appointment and swearing in. of all
such substitutes and the reason therefor, and the time when such substitute
began and ceased to serve shall be noted by the judges in the poll book of
the precinct; such substitute shall cease to act whenever the judge or clerk
in whose stead he was appointed shall be present.

70.1

An. Code, sec. 64. 1904, sec. 62. 1896, ch. 202, sec. 57.

71. Each political party or other body of voters having a candidate or
candidates duly nominated shall have the right to designate and keep a
challenger and watcher at each place of registration and election, who shall
be assigned to such positions near the judges of election, inside the registra-
tion or polling-room as to enable them to see each person as he offers to
register or vote, and they shall be protected in the discharge of their duty
by the judges of election and the police. A certificate signed by the candi-

1 Through an oversight no section was assigned this number.