764 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 431

licly and the written returns herein provided for fully com-
pleted and signed by the judges and clerks of election.
In counting the said 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 pro-
truding slightly beyond any square in which the same
should be made shall not be sufficient cause to reject any
ballot; and no ballots shall be wholly rejected if more
candidates under any one head or designation for office
shall be voted for than there are offices to be filled, but
shall be counted for all other candidates under other heads
or designations for whom the same may be properly
marked.

611. The judges shall make duplicate statements or
returns of the result of the canvass of said votes, each
of which shall, if possible, be upon a single sheet of paper,
and shall contain a caption containing the day on which
said election was held and the hours thereof, and show-
ing the whole number of votes given for each candidate,
designating the office for which they were given. Such
statements or returns shall be printed, or partly printed
or written, and in case a proposition of any kind has been
submitted to the voters at any such election, it shall also
show in like manner the number of votes for and against
such proposition, and at the end of each such statement
or return shall be printed or written a certificate that the
same is correct in all respects; which certificate and each
sheet of paper forming a part of the statement shall be
subscribed by the judges and clerks of such election.

If any judge or clerk shall decline to sign such re-
turn, he shall state his reasons therefor in writing, and
a copy thereof, signed by himself, shall be enclosed with
each return; and each return or statement shall be en-
closed in an envelope which shall then be securely sealed
and each of the judges and clerks shall then write his
name across the fold of the envelope; one of which en-
velopes shall be directed to the Mayor and the other to
the City Council of said town of Laurel; the one addressed
to the Mayor shall be delivered to him, and the one ad-
dressed to the City Council shall be delivered to the Presi-
dent of the City Council at the time hereinafter men-
tioned.

612. The City Council shall meet on the Wednesday
after each election held under the provisions of this act at
seven-thirty o'clock P. M. at the City Hall, which shall be