WASHINGTON COUNTY. 4783

whatsoever, who shall wilfully destroy, conceal or retain any ballots duly
prepared for voting, or wilfully break the seals of any package, book or
block of ballots, or abstract any ballots therefrom, or have any such ballots,
except for the lawful purposes in this article provided, in his possession,
or any paper purporting to be an official ballot, before or during an elec-
tion, shall be punished by a fine of not less than five nor more than one
thousand dollars, or shall be imprisoned in jail, penitentiary or house of
correction for not less than thirty days nor more than two years, or both
such fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court.

P. L. L., 1888, Art. 22, sec. 162. 1886, oh. 409. 1892, ch. 55, sec. 162.
317. When the poll shall be closed the box wherein the ballots are
deposited, shall immediately thereafter be opened by the judges of elec-
tion and the said judges in the presence of one selected representative of
each and every political party, whose candidates are voted for at such
election to be designated in writing by said candidates, shall publicly take
out the1 said ballots and read distinctly and aloud the name or names
written or printed thereon respectively, and the clerks of said election shall
carefully enter and keep an account of the same on the books of the polls,
so that the number of votes for each candidate tallied thereon may be read-
ily cast up and known; when all the ballots have been canvassed the poll
clerks shall compare their tallies together, and ascertain the total number
of voters* received by each candidate, and when they agree upon the num-
bers one of them shall announce in a loud voice to the judges and those
present the number of votes received by each candidate, as soon as the
ballots shall be read off and counted, and the number for each candidate
reckoned up and ascertained, the judge or judges of election shall make
out under his or their hands, attested by the clerks of election or one of
them on the books of the polls, two plain fair and distinct statements and
certificates of the number of votes which shall have been then and there
given for each candidate, distinguishing the station or office for which he
has been voted; the said numbers shall be expressed in words at length
and not in figures only according to the following form, or to the like
effect, to-wit; State of Maryland, city of Hagerstown, to wit: We the under-
signed duly appointed by the board of supervisors of election of the city
of Hagerstown in due form of law, judge or judges of election in this
ward, number ——— do hereby certify and return that we did attend on
the ——— day of ——— at ———, the place appointed by law for holding the
elections within said ward, we further certify that we did then and there
before a justice of the peace of the State of Maryland, in and for Wash-
ington County, qualify as judge or judges of the election as by law
directed, and did then and there at the hour of ——— o'clock in the morn-
ing open the polls for an election for ———; that we continued the polls
open until six o'clock in the evening of the same day, when they were
closed, the ballot box opened, and the ballots publicly counted, when it ap-
peared that ——— votes as ——— given under our hands at the place of said

*"Votes" evidently intended.