SPIRO T. AGNEW, Governor                        845

3-16. Challenges of voters and correction of lists; how made; forms.

(a)    Any voter may file with the board or with the board of
registry objections to the registration of any person whom such
voter has reason to believe is not eligible to vote, or a request tor
the addition of any person whose name has been erroneously omit-
ted or dropped from the registration list of any precinct. Applica-
tion for the correction of any such precinct registration list or a
challenge of the right to vote of a person named on such list may
be made by any qualified voter at the office of the Board on or
before the Tuesday sixteen weeks preceding any primary election.

(b)    Such applications or challenges shall be made in the form
provided by subsection (e) of this section and the forms shall be
provided by the board for that purpose. The voter shall state thereon,
under oath and of his own personal knowledge, the reason for the
application or challenge. Thereafter the voter so applying or chal-
lenging shall be required to appear in person at the time of the
hearing on the application or challenge as provided for in subsection
(d) of this section and for wilful failure to so appear shall be
subject to the penalties provided for in Section 24-27 of this Article.

(c)    Persons whose right to register has been challenged and
persons whose names are alleged to have been erroneously omitted
or dropped from the registration lists shall be given written notice,
sent by mail, addressed to the voter at the last address given on his
registration form. Any voter so notified may appear in person or by
counsel.

(d)    The board of registry shall sit for the purpose of hearing
applications for changes in such registration lists, or challenges of
the right to vote on such lists. They shall meet on the Tuesday four-
teen weeks before an election at such hours as the board may desig-
nate. If all such applications or challenges be not determined on
that day, they shall sit during the same hours on succeeding days
until all cases are heard and decided. If it is not possible to hear
all such cases within two days, the board may appoint one or more
boards of registry, each consisting of two members of opposite po-
litical parties, to aid in hearing such applications or challenges at
a rate of compensation fixed as provided in Section 2-6 of this Article.
At the request of either party, the board shall issue subpoenas to
witnesses to appear at such hearings, who shall be sworn and exam-
ined. All cases shall be decided immediately after hearing. No voter
as to whom an application or a challenge has been made shall be
removed from the registration lists unless the application or chal-
lenge is substantiated by affirmative proof. In the absence of such
proof, the presumption shall be that the voter as to whom the applica-
tion or challenge was made is properly registered. If the board is
satisfied that the person so challenged, omitted or dropped from the
registration lists has actually moved to another precinct and is
presently residing within that other precinct, the board may trans-
fer that person to the registration list of the precinct in which he
presently resides.

(e)    Objections to the registration of any person shall be made
in substantially the following form: