PHILLIPS LEE GOLDSBOROUGH, GOVERNOR. 1673

use of the voters therein, the Board of Supervisors shall deliver
to said judges through the hands of a policeman, the second set
of ballots, taking a receipt from said Judges therefor, a record
shall be kept by said Board of Supervisors of the time when
such delivery was made and of the particulars thereof, and the
same with said receipts shall be preserved for six months, unless
a contest has occurred with reference to any office which was
embraced in the ballots and then until the contest is ended, when
they shall be destroyed. In no case, however, shall the ballots
be destroyed until after six months from the date of the election.

SEC. 162. When the polls shall be closed the box wherein the
ballots are deposited shall immediately thereafter be opened by
the judges of election, and the said judges shall take out the said
ballots and read distinctly and loud, the name or names printed
thereon; and the clerks of said election shall carefully enter
and keep account of the same on the books of the polls, so that
the number of votes for each candidate tallied thereon may be
readily cast up and known; when all the ballots have been can-
vassed the poll clerks shall compare their tallies together, and
ascertain the total number of votes received by each candidate,
and when they agree upon the numbers one of them shall an-
nounce in a loud voice to the judges and those present the num-
ber of votes received by each candidate; as soon as the ballot
shall be read off and counted and the number of 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 candi-
date distinguishing a station or office for which he has been
voted; the said number 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 undersigned 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 .................... 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 for the election, as by
law directed, and did then and there at the hour of 6 o'clock
in the morning, open the polls for an election for Mayor and