848

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

SEC. 17. And be it enacted, That as soon as
the ballots shall be read off and counted, and
the number for each candidate reckoned up

Certificate.

and ascertained, the Judge or Judges of Elec-
tion shall make out under his or their hands,
attested by the Clerks of Election, or one of
them, on the poll-book, a plain, fair and dis-
tinct certificate 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, such certificate
to be as near as possible in the form of the
like certificate required from the Judges of
Election under the General Election Law.

SEC. 18. And be it enacted, That the Return.
Judges of Election shall return on the day fol-
lowing the day on which any election shall be
held under this law, before twelve o'clock,
noon, the ballots cast and the ballots rejected
at such election, in sepa.rate sealed packages,
and the poll-books and certificates aforesaid,

Make return.

to the Presiding Officer of the managing conven-
tion of the political association or party under
whose authority the election was called, who
shal] immediately thereuponpublicly announce
the result; such packages shall be destroyed
after the expiration of thirty days, by said Pre-
siding Officer without breaking the seal, unless
they are, before that time, demanded by the
executive committee of such managing con-
vention, to be used as evidence in cases of
contest among any of the candidates of such
election.

SEC. 19. And be it enacted, That the execu-
tive committee of any such managing conven-
tion, shall have full power to hear and deter-
mine all questions of contest between any
candidates voted for at such election, and to
prescribe the rules to govern all such contests,

Executive
Committee.

and may demand and receive, for such pur-
pose, from the Presiding Officer of such con-
vention, the poll-books, certificates and ballots
returned to him by the Judges of Election; and