HERBERT R. O'CONOR, GOVERNOR. 5

heretofore done or performed in pursuance of said sections or
under any other election laws of this State. The Proclamation
of the Governor, issued on May 21, 1942, under the provisions
of said Section 304 of said Article 33 and all acts and things
done under said Proclamation, in accordance with the provi-
sions of Section 305 of said Article 33, and of Sections 306
to 315, both inclusive, of said Article and of any other election
laws of this State, all as they existed prior to the effective
date of this Act, are hereby ratified, approved, confirmed and
validated.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That twenty-five new
sections be, and the same are hereby, added to Article 33 of the
Annotated Code of Maryland (1939 Edition), title "Elections",
sub-title "Voting by Mail", said new sections to follow imme-
diately after Section 303 of said Article, to be under the sub-
title "Voting by Mail", to be known as Sections 304 to 313A,
both inclusive, and Sections 314, 314A, 314B, 314BB, 314C,
314D, 314E, 314F, 314G, 314H, 314-1, 314J, 314K and 314L,
and to read as follows:

VOTING BY MAIL.

304. DECLARATION OF POLICY. It is hereby declared to be
the purpose of the General Assembly of Maryland, in enacting
this sub-title, to provide that absentee residents of this State,
as herein defined, at the time of any election, as herein defined^
shall be given the right and every possible opportunity to
register and vote by mail in any such election to the full
extent permitted by the Constitution of this State; and, fur-
ther, to protect such absentee residents in the exercise of
those rights, and to correlate in so far as the Constitution of
the United States and the Constitution of this State permit,
the provisions of this sub-title with all Acts of Congress re-
lating to voting by mail by such absentee residents; and to
permit and facilitate the general cooperation of this State
and its election officials and commissions with every depart-
ment, commission or agency of the United States to which the
carrying out of the provisions of such Act of Congress may be
delegated and committed.

305. DEFINITIONS. For the purposes of this sub-title and
unless otherwise required by the context:

(1) An "Absentee Resident" means a resident of Maryland,
(a) qualified to vote under its Constitution as to age, citizen-
ship and length of residence and not disfranchised because of
crime, and (b) who is absent and engaged in the military or