4002 ARTICLE 17.

The Judges and Clerks of Election shall put back in the respective ballot

boxes used at said election the ballots taken therefrom, and shall seal said
ballot boxes by pasting a strip of paper over the slit, upon which slip the
Judges and Clerks of Election shall sign their names so that the boxes
may not be opened without destroying said seal. The ballot boxes contain-
ing the ballots shall be kept by the Supervisors of Election for thirty days
from the date of said election, unless there is a recount, in which case they

shall be kept until said recounting is finally concluded. After the thirty
days has elapsed, or the recount has been concluded, the Supervisors of
Election shall open said ballot boxes and destroy said ballots.

The Mayor and Common Council shall on the first Wednesday after each

election held under the provisions of this Act, convene to receive the re-
turns of election. When said meeting has been called to order, the Super-
visors of Election shall attend and present to the Mayor and to the Town
Clerk and Treasurer the returns of election respectively addressed to them.
The Mayor and Common Council shall then examine said returns and if
they find them to be signed by all the Judges and Clerks of Election, and
identical, they shall canvass them and declare those persons elected who

shall appear from the face of the returns to have received the highest num-
ber of votes for the various offices voted for, and shall issue certificates

of election to said persons. In case any proposition or question other than
the election of an officer shall have been submitted to the voters at said

election, the Mayor and Common Council shall in like manner declare
whether or not such proposition has been carried or defeated.

In case the returns are not signed by all the Judges and Clerks of Elec-
tion, or in case the two sets of returns are not identical, the Mayor and
Common Council shall consider such returns and the statements, if any
are accompanying them, signed by the Election Officials refusing to sign
the returns, and they shall upon these papers determine which parties, if
any, are elected to the various offices, and shall issue certificates accord-
ing to their determination. They shall in like manner, in case any propo-
sition or question other than the election of officials has been submitted
to the voters at said election, determine whether or not said proposition
has been carried or defeated.

Any defeated candidate at such election may contest the same and the
Judge of the Circuit Court for Prince George's County shall have juris-
diction to determine such contest, and may adopt such modes of proceed-
ing and adjudging costs in cases of contested election as to him may seem
most satisfactory. No such contest shall, however, be considered unless a
petition is filed in the Circuit Court for Prince George's County within
seven days, exclusive of Sundays and legal holidays, after the decision of
the Mayor and Common Council of Mount Rainier on said election shall
be made.

Any legally qualified voter who has voted at any election in said town

on any question submitted to the voters shall have a similar right of con-
testing the result of such election to be exercised in a similar way.