PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY. 4001

Immediately after the closing of the polls, the Judges of Election shall
proceed to count the ballots in the four boxes in order, and the counting
thereof shall not be adjourned or postponed until it shall have been fully
completed, the returns announced publicly and the written returns herein-
after provided for fully com'pleted, and signed by the Judges and Clerks
of Election. No ballot shall be counted for Mayor whereon the voter has
made a cross (X) mark opposite the name of more than one candidate
for Mayor, and the same shall be true in respect to the counting the votes
for Councilman for each of the several wards. No ballot in box No. 1
shall be counted for any candidate whatsoever if it be marked for any
candidate for whom a first ward voter shall not be entitled to vote, and
the same rule shall apply to such of the other boxes. In counting the
ballots the Judges of Election shall be governed by the manifest intent
of the voter where the same can be ascertained, and a cross (X) mark
protruding slightly beyond any square in which the same should be made
shall not be sufficient cause to reject any ballot. Any ballot which shall
have upon it any mark other than a cross (X) mark, which in the opinion
of the Judges shall appear to have been placed thereon for the purpose of
distinguishing said ballot from others, shall be rejected by them and not
counted.

After the Election Officials shall have counted the ballots, and shall
have compared the poll books with the number of ballots, and found
them to be correct, they shall make duplicate statements or returns of
the result of the canvass of said votes, each of which statements or
returns shall contain a caption showing the date on which said election
was held and the hours thereof, and showing the number of votes given
to each candidate designating the office for which they were given. In
case any proposition other than the election of officials shall be submitted
to the voters at any such election under the provisions of this or any
other Act of Assembly, such results shall show in like manner the num-
ber of votes for and against such election. At the end of such statements
or returns there shall be a certificate that the same are correct in all
respects, and said certificate shall be signed by all the Judges and
Clerks of such election.

In case any Judge or Clerk shall decline to sign any such returns, he
shall make a statement of his reasons for such refusal in duplicate, sign
each of said duplicate copies of his reasons, and such statements shall be'
inclosed with the returns. Each of the above mentioned returns or state-
ments, together with one of the statements of declination, if any there be,
shall be inclosed in an envelope which shall be then securely sealed and
each of the Judges and Clerks shall write his name across the fold thereof.
One of said envelopes shall be directed to the Mayor of Mount Rainier,
and the other to the Town Clerk and Treasurer, and the Supervisors of
Election shall take charge of these envelopes and deliver them to the
respective parties to whom they are addressed at the time hereinafter
mentioned.