1188                              Laws of Maryland                       [Ch. 739

absent judge by appointing in his stead a person of the same political
party as the absentee. One of the judges shall administer to such
substitute the oath required of the judge originally appointed. After
the opening of the polls, no judge shall absent himself therefrom un-
til all the ballots cast shall have been counted and the returns com-
pleted. If in case of absolute necessity, any judge in attendance shall
be compelled to absent himself, he shall appoint some fit person of the
same political party as himself to act in his stead until his return,
having first administered to such substitute the same oath as he him-
self has taken. Blank forms for the appointment of the substitute
judges and the oath aforesaid shall be supplied by the Supervisors,
and the oath when administered shall be preserved and returned by
the judges to the Supervisors. The appointment and swearing in of
all such substitutes and the reason therefor, and the time when such
substitute began and ceased to serve, shall be noted by the judges
in the poll books of the precinct or on looseleaf pages inserted in the
binders containing the precinct cards; such substitute shall cease
to act whenever the judge in whose stead he was appointed shall be
present.

GENERAL POWERS AND DUTIES OF SUPERVISORS
OF ELECTIONS

11.   Conduct of Elections. (a) General Provisions. The Board of
Supervisors of Elections in each county and in Baltimore City shall
have charge of and make provision for all elections, general, special
local, municipal, State and county and for all others of every de-
scription to be held in such county or City, or any part thereof at any
time; provided, however, that in any incorporated city or town in
the State (other than the City of Baltimore) in which the municipal
or charter elections are regulated by the Public Local Laws of the
State or the Charter of such municipality, the conduct of such
municipal or charter elections shall continue to be so regulated as
heretofore or may hereafter be provided by Public Local Laws or the
Charter of said municipality and the same shall continue in force
therein.

(b)  Rules and Regulations. The said Board in each county and
in the City of Baltimore shall have power to make all necessary
rules and regulations, not inconsistent with this Article, with
reference to the registration of voters and the conduct of elections.
Unless otherwise expressly provided in this Article, all questions
arising with reference to such rules and regulations as to the
registration of voters and the conduct of elections shall be decided
by a majority of the Board.

(c)  Judges of Election SUMMONS OF JUDGES OF ELECTION
AND WITNESSES. The Board shall have power to summon judges
of election AND ANY WITNESSES INVOLVED and to require their
appearance before them; and to administer oaths and take testimony
from such judges. AND WITNESSES.

12.   Notice of Elections. (a) Counties. The Board of Supervisors
in each county shall give ten days' notice of the time and place of all
elections in each precinct of such county, by advertisements, if it
can be procured at the current rate for commercial advertising, in at
least two newspapers of general circulation in said county (one of
which newspapers, if possible, shall be of opposite political faith from