986 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 799

the usual place for holding the Superior Court and shall
there first register all Absentee Residents entitled thereto
and not previously registered, and such registration shall
be deemed to have been made on the day of said election
and prior to the casting of their votes by such Absentee
Residents. Immediately after completing such registra-
tion, said Board shall proceed to count, certify and canvass
the ballots contained in the Ballot Envelopes, received by
them, at any time prior to the closing of the polls on elec-
tion day. Whenever the Board shall determine from proof
or investigation that any person who has marked and
transmitted an Absentee Ballot, under the provisions of
this sub-title, has died before election day, said Board
shall not count the ballot of said deceased voter, but it
shall be preserved by said Board for six months and may
then be destroyed, unless prior to that time the Board be
ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction to keep the
same for any longer period. Unless at or prior to the time
of such counting and canvassing the Board shall have
determined that the Absentee Resident who marked a ballot
had died before election day, said ballot shall be counted,
and the fact that said Absentee Resident may later be
shown to have been actually dead on election day shall not
invalidate said ballot or said election. If said Board deter-
mines that said Absentee Resident voted in person at said
election, his Absentee Ballot shall not be counted.

If the Board determines that the provisions for filling
out and signing the oath on the outside of the Ballot Envel-
ope have been substantially complied with and that the
person signing the voter's oath is entitled to vote under
this sub-title in any precinct or election district or ward of
the City, as the case may be, and has not already voted
therein on election day, they shall open the Ballot Envelope
and remove the ballot therefrom and place it in a ballot box
or ballot boxes prepared for that purpose. The Board shall
not open or unfold any Absentee Ballot at any time prior
to the counting of same. When any Ballot Envelope is
opened, the Board shall enter in the appropriate register
the fact that the voter whose name appears thereon has
voted, using the initials "V. M. " to indicate that the vote
has been by mail. If there be more than one ballot in the
Ballot Envelope, all shall be rejected. "Absentee Ballots"
may be marked by any kind of pencil or ink. All Absentee
Ballots shall be kept separate and apart from ballots cast
at the regular voting places and retained for six (6)
months after the date of election at which they were cast,
unless prior to that time, the Board shall be ordered by a