578 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 370
SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Mary-
land, That a new section be added to Article 33 of the Anno-
tated Code of Maryland (1939 Edition), title "Elections", sub-
title "Registration", to follow immediately after Section 53 of
said Article and to be known as Section 53A, said new section
to read as follows:
53A. If at any general or primary election, it shall appear
that the original registration form of any person presenting
himself as a voter, is not among those cards that constitute
the precinct register for use on election day, such person may
apply to the Board of Supervisors of Elections, or a majority
of them, on forms to be provided by said Board, for a certificate
entitling him to cast his ballot in spite of the absence of such
original registration form. Upon receipt of any application
for such certificate, accompanied by proof of the identity of
the applicant, a majority of the Board of Supervisors of Elec-
tions, shall inspect the duplicate registration forms retained
in the office of said Board, and if such inspection discloses that
the applicant is a duly registered voter, a majority of the
said Board shall make reasonable effort to locate the appli-
cant's original registration form. If such form is not found,
and if a majority of the Board shall be satisfied that its ab-
sence is not due to fraud or malfeasance, such Board or a
majority thereof shall issue its certificate, a copy of which
shall be retained by the Board, to the Judges of Election of the
precinct in which the applicant is shown to be a registered
voter, which certificate shall be marked "Temporary Certificate
of Registration", and shall be sufficient authority to permit
such voter to cast his ballot in such precinct in the same man-
ner as though his original registration form were present.
Such certificate, when presented to the Judges of Elections,
shall be retained by said Judges and returned to the Board of
Supervisors of Elections at the time prescribed by this Article
for the return of the original registration forms.
Within thirty days after any primary or general election for
which a certificate of registration has been issued, in accord-
ance with the provisions of this section, a voter receiving such
certificate shall appear at the office of the Board of Super-
visors of Elections and shall sign a new original registration
form containing the information shown by such voter's dupli-
cate registration form, which new original registration form
shall entitle such voter, subject to the provisions of this Arti-
cle, to vote at any subsequent election.
The issuance of a certificate of registration under the pro-
visions of this section shall not entitle any voter receiving such
certificate to vote at any election other than the one for which
such certificate was issued, and no subsequent certificate of
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