1258                             Laws of Maryland                       [Ch. 739

Elections shall give notice, in writing, to the custodian of the voting
machines to be recanvassed and to the Chairman of the State Central
Committee of each party which shall have nominated candidates for
said general election or shall have candidates for nomination cut said
primary election. Each of the said chairmen shall have the right to
appoint and designate two representatives who shall each have the
right personally to examine and make a copy of the vote recorded on
the machines.

(b)  Figures Corrected. If upon such verification or recanvass, it
shall be found that the original canvass of the returns has been in-
correctly made from any machine or machines, a statement in writ-
ing shall be prepared, giving in detail as to each such machine, the
result of the verification or recanvass. Such statement shall be
witnessed by the persons present and shall be filed with the other
returns of said election. Such recanvass of votes made pursuant to
the provisions of this section shall thereupon supersede the returns
filed by the judges of the election precinct in which the canvass was
made.

(c)  Testing Counting Mechanism. If upon such recanvass, it shall
be found that a discrepancy still remains unaccounted for, the Super-
visors of Elections, after the expiration of the time within which
petition for recount may be made, with the assistance of the
custodian of the machine, shall unlock the voting and counting
mechanism of the machine. In the presence of the authorized repre-
sentative present, they shall proceed to thoroughly examine and test
the machine to determine and reveal the true cause or causes, if any,
of the discrepancy in the returns from such machine. Before testing
the counters, they shall be reset at zero, after which each counter
shall be operated at least one hundred times. After the completion
of such examination and test, the custodian shall then and there pre-
pare a statement, in writing, giving in detail the result thereof, and
such statement shall be witnessed by the persons present and shall
be filed in the office of the Supervisors of Elections.

141. Release of Voting Machines. Every voting machine used in
any election, general, special, or primary, shall remain locked and
sealed after said ten day period for as much longer as may be neces-
sary or advisable because of any contest over the result of the elec-
tion; except that it may be opened and the data and figures therein
examined in the presence of the officer having the custody of such
machine upon the order of any court of competent jurisdiction, or
Judges thereof, or by direction of any legislative committee to in-
investigate and report upon contested elections affected by the use
of such machine. If within two days after verification of the returns,
as provided by Section 140 THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS
ARE DECLARED OFFICIAL, the Board of Supervisors of Elec-
tions shall receive notice in writing of any contest over the re-
sult of said election, then such Board, within five days from the
receipt of such notice and in the presence of the principals involved
in any such contest or their authorized representatives, shall proceed
to inspect and examine the voting machines containing the votes cast
for such contested office, and shall make a record of the votes for
such office upon said machines. Such record shall be received as
evidence as fully as if proved by the oral testimony of the persons
who shall sign the same, or by the production of said voting machines