HERBERT R. O'CONOR, GOVERNOR. 205

Ballot Boxes", relating to assistance for those who are
unable to mark their ballots on account of blindness or
other physical disability.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of
Maryland, That Section 76 of Article 33 of the Annotated
Code of Maryland (1924 Edition), title "Elections", sub-
title "Ballots and Ballot Boxes", be and it is hereby re-
pealed and re-enacted with amendments to read as follows:

76. Assistance in marking their ballots shall be given
to voters who shall declare under oath to the judges of
election that by reason of blindness or physical disability
they are unable without assistance to mark their ballot.
Upon making and filing with the judges such affidavit the
voter shall retire to one of said booths with any immediate
member of his family whom he may select or with the two
clerks and then and there the immediate member of his
family whom he has selected or in case he has selected no
one, one of said clerks, in the presence of the other, shall
mark the ballot as such voter shall direct, the voter him-
self naming one by one the candidates for whom he desires
his ballot to be marked and not indicating the candidates
by a general designation as the candidates of any one
political party. The ballots shall not be read to such voter,
nor shall any suggestion of any kind be made by the mem-
ber of his family whom he has selected or by either said
two clerks to show him as to how his ballot is to be marked,
but the only assistance which it shall be lawful for said
member of his family or for the clerks to give him is to
mark the ballot as he, without prompting or suggestion
from them, or either of them shall direct, but no ballot
shall be marked under this section until a majority of the
judges of election shall be satisfied of the truth of the fact
stated in such affidavit. Voters who are not disabled by
blindness or physical injury from marking their ballots
shall not be entitled to receive assistance in marking them,
and with the exception in favor of persons blind or incapa-
ble from physical injury of marking their ballots without
assistance, no distinction or discrimination in the matter
of assistance in marking ballots shall be made for or
against any duly registered voter for any other cause
whatever.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall
take effect June 1, 1939.

Approved May 27, 1939.