1320 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 761

in the opinion of the Judges shall appear to have been placed
thereon for the purpose of distinguishing said ballot from
others, shall be rejected by them and not counted.

After the Election Officials shall have counted the ballots,
and shall have compared the poll books with the number of
ballots, and found them to be correct, they shall make dupli-
cate statements or returns of the results of the canvass of said
votes, each of which statements or returns shall contain a
caption showing the date on which said election was held and
the hours thereof, and showing the number of votes given to
each candidate. In case any proposition other than the elec-
tion of officials shall be submitted to the voters at any such
election under the provisions of this or any other Act of Assent
bly, such results shall show in like manner the number of votes
for and against such election. At the end of such statements
or returns there shall be a certificate that the same are correct
in all respects, and said certificate shall be signed by all the
Judges and Clerks of such election.

In case any Judge or Clerk shall decline to sign any such
returns, he shall make a statement of his reasons for such re-
fusal in duplicate, sign each of said duplicate copies of his rea-
sons, and such statements shall be inclosed with the returns.
Each of the above mentioned returns or statements, together
with one of the statements of declination, if any there be, shall
be inclosed in an envelope which shall be then securely sealed
and each of the Judges and Clerks shall write his name across
the fold thereof. One of said envelopes shall be directed to the
Commissioners of Bladensburg, and the other to the Town
Clerk and Treasurer, and the Supervisors of Election shall take
charge of these envelopes and deliver them to the respective
parties to whom they are addressed at the time hereinafter
mentioned.

The Judges and Clerks of Election shall put back in the re-
spective ballot boxes used at said election the ballots taken
therefrom, and shall seal said ballot boxes by pasting a strip of
paper over the slit, upon which slip the Judges and Clerks of
Election shall sign their names so that the boxes may not be
opened without destroying said seal. The ballot boxes con-
taining the ballots shall be kept by the Supervisors of Election
for thirty days from the date of said election, unless there is
a recount, in which case they shall be kept until said recount-
ing is finally concluded. After the thirty days has elapsed, or
the recount hag been concluded, the Supervisors of Election
shall open said ballot boxes and destroy said ballots.

The Commissioners shall on the first Wednesday after each
election held under the provisions of this Act, convene to re-
ceive the returns of election. When said meeting has been
called to order, the Supervisors of Election shall attend and