4384 ARTICLE 20.

1918, ch. 163, sec. 58 1/2.

55. All voting at municipal elections shall be upon official ballots
printed upon plain white paper and of uniform size prepared and fur-
nished to the Judges of Election by the Mayor and Council for that pur-
pose and to no other person. On all of said ballots shall appear the name
of each and every office to be filled at said election, plainly printed, in
black ink and in proper order of succession, and if there be more than
one Councilman to be voted for the name of the Councilman whose term
is about to end and the number of years for which his successor is to hold
office.

Under the name of each and every office shall be plainly printed, in
black ink, a direction to the voter, "Vote for one, vote for two or three,
by making a cross (X) mark in that square which is opposite the name of
the candidate to be voted for," after which shall be printed plainly in black
ink the names of all candidates for that office, with a light black line drawn
below the name of each candidate——————————————and
extending to a square or parallelogram opposite and near the border of
the paper, for the guidance of the voter. Immediately below all the names
of candidates, entitled to be printed on said ballot, there shall be printed
a light black line extending from one border of the ballot to the other,
with a square or a parallelogram at the furthest border, on which the voter
may insert in writing, the name of a candidate, if he so desires, which
is not printed on the ballot.

After and below the name of any of the offices and of all the candidates
therefor and of the said light black line for a candidate not printed on
said ballot, shall be plainly printed a heavy black line to separate and
distinguish said office and candidates from any other or to show the end
of the ballot as the case may be.

An intending voter shall present himself at the bar of the voting booth
or place of election to vote and on being admitted, if qualified and regis-
tered, the Clerk of Election shall hand to said voter, one of the official
ballots above described, with the said Clerk's initials, written on the back
thereof, and without any other written sign or mark thereon, and it shall
be the duty of the Mayor and Council to provide a reasonably convenient
and suitable place, within said booth or voting place, where the said voter
may fill out or mark said ballot privately, by Writing in the proper blank
space the name of a candidate and by placing a cross (X) mark opposite
the name of the candidate he desires to vote for, but in so doing said voter
shall place no other mark, writing or device than such as is authorized or
allowed by this section, and no voter shall occupy more than five minutes
of the time in making out his ballot, at the end of which time and at the
demand of the Clerk of Election, every voter shall immediately surrender
his said ballot to the Judge of Election, designated for that purpose, prop-
erly folded, so as to show the initials of the Clerk of Election, and if said
initials shall properly appear thereon, the said ballot shall be received and
placed in the ballot box. If on opening of any of said ballots, it shall
appear that any unauthorized marks, writing or device has been made or