626

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

closed by the guard-rail as above provided, a ballot clerk shall

give him one and only one ballot; before handing the ballot to

the voter the ballot clerk shall place his own initials immediately

beneath the facsimile signature, and so that the same will plainly

appear when the ballot shall have been folded as required by the

next section; besides the election officers not more than four voters

in excess of the number of voting shelves or compartments pro-

vided, shall be allowed in said enclosed space at one time.

155. On receipt of his ballot the voter shall forthwith and

without leaving the enclosed space, retire alone to one of the voting

shelves or compartments, and shall prepare his ballot by making

in the appropriate margin or place a cross (X) opposite the name

or emblem of a party as a vote for all the group of candidates of

that party whose names shall not have been erased, or opposite

Shall pre-
pare balk

the name of the candidate of his choice for each office to be filled,

or by filling in the name of the candidate of his choice in the

blank space provided therefor, and marking a cross (X) opposite

thereto, and in case of a question submitted to the vote of the

people, by making in the arpropriate margin or place a cross (X)

against the answer which he desires to give; in marking such a

ballot any voter shall be at liberty to use or copy any unofficial

sample ballot which he may choose to mark, or to have had

marked in advance of entering the polling-place or booth, to assist

him in marking the official ballot, but no voter shall be at liberty

to use or bring into the polling-place any unofficial sample ballot,

printed upon paper, the color and quality now required to be

used for the printing of ballots under this article; before leaving

the voting shelf or compartment the voter shall fold his ballot

without displaying the cross-marks thereon, in the same way it

was folded when received by him, and so that the initials of the

ballot clerk shall appear, and he shall keep the same so folded

until he has voted, he shall vote in the manner provided in this

article before leaving the enclosed space, and shall hand his ballot

to the judge of election with the official endorsement uppermost,

he shall mark and deposit his ballot without undue delay, and

shall quit said enclosed space as soon as he has voted; no voter

shall be allowed to occupy a voting shelf or compartment already

occupied by another, nor to occupy a voting shelf or compartment

for more than five minutes, in case of all such shelves or com-

Not to oc-

partments are in use, and other voters are waiting to occupy the

cupy

same; no voter waiting his turn or other person shall overlook or

converse with any other voter while he is engaged in the said

compartment or voting shelf; no voter not being one of said

Not to re-
enter

election officers, whose name has been checked on the registry by

the judges shall be allowed to re-enter said enclosed space during

said election; it shall be the duty of the judges of election to

secure the observance of the provisions of this section and of