212 LAWS OF MARYLAND [CH. 78

Upon receiving the petition for a referendum, the legislative body
of the municipal corporation is directed to verify that any person
who signed it is qualified to vote in its municipal general elections
and shall consider the petition as of no effect if it is signed by fewer
than twenty per centum of the persons who are qualified to vote in
municipal general elections. If the petition for a referendum com-
plies with the requirements of this section, the legislative body shall
by resolution, passed as in its normal legislative procedure, specify
the day and the hours for the election at which the question shall be
submitted to the voters of the municipal corporation. This may be
at either the next regular municipal general election or at a special
election, in the discretion of the legislative body. In the event a
special election is designated, it shall be held within a period of not
less than forty days nor more than sixty days after the final passage
of the resolution providing for the referendum. The resolution pro-
viding for the referendum shall specify the exact wording which is
to be placed on the ballots or voting machines when the question is
submitted to the voters of the municipal corporation.

15. Posting and publication.

The mayor or other chief executive officer of the municipal cor-
poration, by whatever name known, shall give notice by posting and
publication of any submission of a proposed charter amendment to
the voters thereof. For not less than the four weeks immediately
preceding the election at which the question is to be submitted a
complete and exact copy of the wording of the proposed amendment
or amendments shall be posted at the town hall or other main munic-
ipal building or in a public place. On the day of the election, a sim-
ilar copy shall be posted at the place or places for voting. Or, in lieu
of such posting, there shall be posted a statement that, if the amend-
ment is adopted, the municipal corporation shall be governed under
and according to the municipal corporation charter contained in
Article 23B of the Annotated Code of Maryland, title "Municipal
Corporation Charter", and that this municipal corporation charter
comprises the proposed amendment; or if the municipal corporation
has adopted substantially the provisions of said Article 23B, the
posted statement shall so declare and also should include a fair sum-
mary of the provisions in the charter which differ from those in
Article 23B. Notice of the election, together with a fair summary
of the proposed amendment or amendments, shall be published in a
newspaper of general circulation in the municipal corporation, not
less than once in each of the four weeks immediately preceding the
election.

23. Text of proposed charter.

The petition presented to the board of county commissioners or
county council shall make provision for the text of the charter pro-
posed for the municipal corporation. The petition either shall in-
clude, as a supplementary paper, the exact text of the proposed
charter, or shall state that, if incorporated, the municipal corpora-
tion shall be governed under and according to the municipal cor-
poration charter contained in Article 23B of the Annotated Code of
Maryland, title "Municipal Corporation Charter", or, if the petition
proposes that the provisions of said Article 23B be adopted substan-
tially as the municipal charter, it shall so declare and shall also in-