1294                               Laws of Maryland                         [Ch. 739

SERVICEMEN'S ABSENTEE VOTING

242.   Legislative Intent. It is hereby declared to be the purpose
of the General Assembly of Maryland, in enacting this sub-title, to
provide that absentee residents of this State, as herein defined, at
the time of any election, as herein defined, shall be given the right
and every possible opportunity to register and vote by mail in any
such election to the full extent permitted by the Constitution of this
State; and, further, to protect such absentee residents in the exer-
cise of those rights, and to correlate in so far as the Constitution
of the United States and the Constitution of this State permit, the
provisions of this sub-title with all Acts of Congress relating to
voting by mail by such absentee residents; and to permit and facilitate
the general cooperation of this State and its election officials and
commissions with every department, commission or agency of the
United States to which the carrying out of the provisions of such Act
of Congress may be delegated and committed.

243.  Definitions. (a) For the purposes of this sub-title and unless
otherwise required by the context:

(b)  An "Absentee Resident" means a resident of Maryland, (1)
qualified to vote under its Constitution as to age, citizenship and
length of residence and not disfranchised because of crime, and (2)
who is absent and engaged in the military or naval service of the
United States as herein defined, and (3) who, because of such absence,
is unable to vote in person at any election, as herein defined, in the
ward or election district in this State in which he was a resident
at the time of his entry or induction into the armed forces of the
United States, or into any of the organizations, work or services
hereinafter set forth; provided that, at the time his ballot is received,
as in this sub-title provided, he is either already registered as a
voter according to the Election Laws of this State, exclusive of this
sub-title, or becomes so registered by mail under this sub-title.

(c)  For the purpose of, and when used in, this sub-title, the phrase
"absent and engaged in the military or naval service of the United
States", shall be deemed to include and apply to persons in the armed
forces of the United States and also to persons engaged in the work
or services, or who are members of the organizations herein specified
as limited in such specifications; and for such purposes and as so
used, the term "Absentee Resident" shall include the following:

(1)  All such absentee residents who are members of any branch
of the armed forces of the United States and of any of their respec-
tive components;

(2)  All such absentee residents who are members of the Merchant
Marine of the United States, and who are hereby defined to be
persons who are employed as officers or members of crews of vessels
documented under the laws of the United States, and persons enrolled
for such employment with the War Shipping Administration, exclu-
sive, however, of those in the service or enrolled for service on the
Great Lakes or the inland waterways of the United States;

(3) All such absentee residents who are serving with the Amer-
ican Red Cross, the Society of Friends, the Women's Auxiliary
Service Pilots and the United Service Organizations who are