2114 ARTICLE 9.

fill the vacancy; the said judges shall serve without pay, and shall
promptly make their returns and without unreasonable delay to the
Town Commissioners certifying and declaring what person shall have
been elected Town Commissioners of La Plata at said election, and the
Town Commissioners to whom such returns are made shall determine all
questions arising upon said returns, and shall cause the said certificate
and declarations of the said judges of election to be recorded among
the records of the corporation, the first election held under this Act shall
be held on the first Monday in May, in the year 1913. The voting at
all elections held under the provisions of this Act shall be by ballot, on
which shall be written the names of three persons and no more, possessing
the qualifications for Town Commissioners of La Plata, as prescribed in
this Act, and no other words, letters, figures, signs or symbols shall be
printed or written upon said ballots; no other ballot than those herein
prescribed shall be received or counted by the judges of election. The
ballots shall be received by the judges, one of whom shall place the ballot
in a box provided for that purpose, and another of whom shall write upon
paper provided for the purpose the name of each voter whose ballot is
received; immediately after the close of the poll the ballots shall be
taken from the box, one by one, counted and tallied by the judges of
election; the papers containing the names of the voters and tallies as afore-
said, shall constitute a part of the returns of the judges of any election.
The three candidates or persons voted for at any election, receiving the
highest number of legal votes cast shall be declared Town Commissioners
of La Plata elected at that election. Should there be a tie vote between
any candidates at any election held under the provisions of this Act, the
judges of said election shall determine and declare, if it should be neces-
sary, which of such candidates shall be returned elected Town Commis-
sioner or Town Commissioners of La Plata and they shall make their
returns accordingly. Any candidate or candidates for Town Commis-
sioners of La Plata or any other voter of the said town of La Plata feeling
himself or themselves aggrieved at the result of said election as declared
charging fraud or irregularity on the part of the election officials in the
allowing of persons to vote not entitled to vote or in refusing the right to
vote to persons entitled to vote or in the manner of conducting said elec-
tion; or in the counting of the said ballots; or in the making of the
returns of said election, or in doing any other act to defeat the will of
the qualified voters or attempting to vote at any election for Town
Commissioners for said town of La Plata, may appeal from the decision
of the judges of election within thirty days from the day of the holding
of any such election to the judges of the Circuit Court for Charles County;
and said judges of the Circuit Court for Charles County are given juris-
diction to hear and determine all such contests. The manner of appeal
shall be by petition accompanied by an affidavit of the petitioner or
petitioners setting forth the grounds of appeal and the said Circuit
Court for Charles County shall proceed forthwith in a summary way
and with or without answer, pleading or technically to take testimony