THEODORE R. MCKELDIN, GOVERNOR 13

tions for Absentee Ballots, and unless the Board shall be
unable to ascertain from an application the identity of the
applicant or the address to which the Ballot requested is to
be sent, or unless the Board determines to its satisfaction
that the applicant is not an Absentee Resident, it shall, as
soon as possible after receipt of the application, mail each
Absentee Resident an Absentee Ballot, consistent with the
said Absentee Resident's party affiliation, if any (but if the
Absentee Resident has indicated no party affiliation and if
the request for an Absentee Ballot is for a primary election,
the Board shall be under no duty to send the said Absentee
any Ballot whatsoever), Ballot Envelope, Return Envelope
and Instructions. The Board shall meet as often as may be
necessary for the aforesaid purposes. The Board shall mail,
postage prepaid, if postage is required, an Absentee Ballot,
Ballot Envelope, Return Envelope, and the Instructions to
each Absentee Resident from whom a proper application for
such ballot has been received, as promptly as possible.

(b) Not more than one Absentee Ballot shall be mailed to
any one applicant unless the Board has reasonable grounds to
believe that the Absentee Ballot previously mailed has been
lost, destroyed or spoiled.

(c) Should there be no contest in the several political parties
entitled to hold a primary, then the Board of Supervisors of
Elections of Baltimore City need not meet before the time
normally set for a primary election, as herein otherwise
required.

217. (a) The Board shall cause to be printed an adequate
number of Absentee Ballots for each political party holding
a primary election, and an adequate number of Absentee Bal-
lots for the general election, of the three kinds of envelopes
hereinafter described and of instructions. The words "Absen-
tee Ballot" shall be printed in large letters in a clear space at
the top of each of said ballots. The ward and precinct or poll-
ing place shall be left blank on the back and outside of said
ballots and shall be filled by the Board before being sent to any
registered Absentee Resident, and, if the Absentee Resident is
not registered, said blanks shall be filled in by said Board when
said Absentee Resident is registered, as in this sub-title pro-
vided. One envelope shall be known as the "Return Envelope"
and shall be sufficiently larger than the other envelope, which
shall be known as the "Ballot Envelope" and which is herein-
after described, to conveniently enclose and contain the Ballot
Envelope. There shall be printed or written across the left-
hand face of the "Return Envelope" the words "Return En-
velope for the Election of................, " the blank space

being filled in with the date of said election, after which there-