Theodore R. McKeldin, Governor                  1303

(d)  Certificates of Nomination of Independent Candidates. All
certificates of nomination for independent candidates shall be filed
on or before the date specified in Section 67 of this Article.

(e)  Withdrawals. Candidates for nomination and nominees wish-
ing to withdraw or decline a nomination shall do so on or before
the day specified in Section 73 of this Article.

(f)  Certificates of Candidacy for President and Vice-president
of the United States. Any candidate for the offices of either Presi-
dent or Vice-President of the United States shall file a certificate
of candidacy for said office on or before the date specified in Section
76 of this Article.

(g)  State Conventions. The State conventions of political parties
shall meet on or before the date specified in Section 80 of this Article.

(h) Constitutional Amendments. Referenda, or Other Questions.
Constitutional amendments, referenda or other questions, except as
specified in Sub-section (i) of this section, shall be certified to the
Boards of Supervisors of Elections on or before the date specified
in Section 167 of this Article.

(i) Questions Arising Under Article 11A of the Constitution.
Questions arising under Article 11A of the Constitution of Mary-
land shall be certified to the proper officer or officers on or before
the day specified in Section 167 of this Article.

(j) Printing Ballots. Ballots shall be printed and in the possession
of the Supervisors of Elections not later than the date specified in
Section 93 of this Article.

253.   Ballots Received. (a) Duties of Secretary of State. The
Secretary of State shall open all Return Envelopes, State and Fed-
eral, as soon as received by him, shall withdraw therefrom the Ballot
Envelopes and shall immediately transmit such Ballot Envelopes
unopened, unmarked and unchanged in any way, in packages sealed
by him, to the Board named on the outside of said State Return
Envelopes and to the appropriate Board disclosed by the address of
the Absentee Resident on the Federal Ballot Envelope. The Secre-
tary of State shall require each Board receiving from him Ballot
Envelopes to give him a receipt showing the date of such delivery
and the number of Ballot Envelopes delivered.

(b)  Ballot Sent to Wrong Board. If a State or Federal Ballot
Envelope is delivered to the wrong Board, such Board shall imme-
diately send said Ballot Envelope unopened, unmarked and un-
changed in any way to the proper Board.

(c)  Preservation of Records. All Return Envelopes, both State
and Federal, received by the Secretary of State after the date of
any election, shall be preserved by him for six months and then
destroyed, unless prior to that time he be ordered by a court of
competent jurisdiction to keep the same for any longer period. The
receipts given the Secretary of State by the several Boards shall
be also kept by him for the same period.

254.  Ballots Received by Boards of Supervisors. (a) Registration
of Voter. Upon receipt by a Board at any time prior to the closing
of the polls on election day of a State or Federal Ballot Envelope