1860

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

CHAP. 9.

and inquired into and acted upon all complaints
concerning alleged violations of the Constitution
and laws touching elections at the election next
preceding, and all matters concerning the same
which have come to their knowledge, or concerning
which they have had any information or reasonable
ground for inquiry.

Duties of
grand juries.

SEC. 22. It shall further be the duty of the said
grand juries to make presentment to said court on
their said adjournment, of all judges of election
who shall have failed to appear before or certify to
them as aforesaid, who shall be at once arrested
and held to bail to answer at the ensuing term of
said court; and it shall be the duty of the State's
attorney immediately to apply for, and of the court
to issue a bench warrant for such arrest, and the
State's attorney shall likewise lay the said present-
ment or presentments before the next grand jury,
on the first day of their session, with the proper
indictments thereupon, which it shall be the duty
of the said grand jury to find on the said present-
ments, and the said court shall give the provisions
of this article in relation to elections in charge to
each and every grand jury which shall be in ses-
sion at the time of any election held in said city,
or next thereafter, and any failure so to do, and any
neglect on the part of the judge of said court or of
the State's attorney for said city to perform the
duties by this section imposed on them respectively,
shall be and the same are hereby declared to be acts
of criminal misbehavior in office on the part of said
judge and State's attorney respectively.

Penalty for
neglects.

SEC. 23. Any judge of election who shall wil-
fully neglect or shall when called on wilfully de-
cline or refuse to exercise the power conferred on
him by this article for preserving the peace on
election days and securing the tranquility and
freedom of elections, and the safety and uninter-
rupted access of the voters to the ballot boxes,
shall be liable for every such offence to a penalty
of five hundred dollars, recoverable by civil ac-
tion by said board of police in the name of the
State.

Misdemeanor

SEC. 24. Any judge of election who shall wil-
fully and knowingly refuse a legal vote when of-
ferred or receive an illegal vote, or combine or
conspire with any person or persons whatsoever to