HERBERT R. O'CONOR, GOVERNOR. 1559

at any election and shall be heard de novo and without a jury
by said Court as soon as possible. There shall be a further
right of appeal to the Court of Appeals, provided such appeal
shall be taken within five days from the date of the decision
of the lower Court complained of, and all such appeals shall
be heard and decided on the original papers, including a type-
written transcript of the testimony taken in such cases, by the
Court of Appeals, as soon as possible after the same have been
transmitted to said Court. Said original papers, including the
testimony, shall be transmitted to the Court of Appeals within
ten (10). days from the taking of the appeal.

137. The Secretary of State and the Boards are hereby
severally authorized and empowered to do any and all acts,
the carrying out of which is committed to them by any Act
of Congress providing for voting by persons who are Absentee
Residents, and to accept and expend any funds made avail-
able to him or them or to the State of Maryland by Con-
gress for the purpose of defraying the costs and expenses in-
curred in connection therewith, including their services. The
Secretary of State and the several Boards are hereby sev-
erally authorized and empowered to use any and all facili-
ties that may be furnished by the United States or any depart-
ment, commission or agency thereof, pursuant to any Act of
Congress or otherwise, for the purpose of transmitting to and
from Absentee Residents applications for absentee ballots,
absentee ballots, envelopes, instructions and all other printed
matter that may be permitted to be transmitted by any Act
of Congress and generally to cooperate in every way with mili-
tary and civil officers of the United States and with all such
departments, commissions and agencies thereof in order to
enable such persons to vote.

138. (a) There is hereby created a State War Ballot Com-
mission (hereinafter referred to as the "Commission"), which
shall be composed of the Governor, the Secretary of State, the
Attorney General, the presiding officers of each House of the
General Assembly, the minority leader of each House of the
General Assembly, all ex officio, and of the Honorable D.
Lindley Sloan, of Cumberland, Maryland, and the Honorable
W. Frank Roberts, of Baltimore City. Vacancies in the Com-
mission shall be filled by the Governor, and every person
appointed to fill a vacancy shall be a member of the same
political party as that of the person in whose place he is
appointed. The Commission shall meet on call of the Gov-
ernor and, in the case of his absence or disability, on call of
the Secretary of State, or any three members. Five mem-
bers of the Commission shall constitute a quorum and the