Theodore R. McKeldin                               353

This appears to be an unnecessary and unsound change in the
existing law. As originally introduced, the Bill purported to conform
the provisions of the law as to voting machine use by disabled voters
with existing provisions of law as to assistance of disabled voters in
the use of paper ballots. Section 81 of Article 33 of the Annotated
Code of Maryland (1951 Edition) provides for assistance of a physic-
ally disabled voter in marking a paper ballot, either by an immediate
member of his family or by the two clerks at the polling place. The
existing Section 100 of Article 33, with respect to voting machines,
made no provision for the alternative to the physically disabled voter
of assistance from a member of his immediate family, if desired.
Initially the Bill corrected this omission and made the assistance pro-
visions uniform as to both paper ballots and voting machines. By-
amendment to the Bill, the allowable outside assistance was extended
to any person designated by the disabled voter. At the same time,
the existing provisions of Section 81 were likewise amended to permit
any person selected by the disabled voter to assist in marking a paper
ballot.

The original intent of the Bill was entirely unobjectionable and had
the desirable feature of providing for substantial secrecy of the ballot
to a disabled voter in the use of voting machines. The amendment
thereafter placed in the Bill removes all restraint from the limitation
as to the person who may be selected and gives no reasonable assur-
ance that the wishes of the physically disabled voter will necessarily
be observed. It affords an unnecessary temptation to an over-zealous
election worker to disregard the instructions of a physically disabled
person, particularly a blind one. It likewise would encourage solicita-
tion of an affidavit in borderline cases of disability in an effort to
assure the casting of a vote in the desired manner. The various
possibilities inherent in such an opening of the doors, even though
the number of votes involved may be relatively few, is entirely in-
consistent with the spirit and principle of our election laws which, as
presently constituted, adequately protect the public interest and the
franchise of public-spirited citizens under such disability as to require
assistance in voting.

Sincerely,

(s) Theodore R. McKeldin,

Governor.
TRMcK/tk

Senate Bill No. 148—Prince George's General Hospital

AN ACT to authorize the Board of County Commissioners of Prince
George's County to issue bonds in the amount of not more than
Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,500,000.00) for
the purpose of constructing and equipping an addition or additions
to the Prince George's General Hospital to include health and wel-
fare facilities, said addition or additions to be built on the present
hospital grounds in Cheverly, Prince George's County, Maryland.
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