SPIRO T. AGNEW, Governor                      1221

require that employees be given paid time off to vote on election
day by employers only where the time off is required in order to
vote.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Section 24-26(a) of Article 33 of the Annotated Code of Mary-
land (1967 Supplement), title "Election Code," subtitle "Offenses
and Penalties" be and it is hereby repealed and re-enacted, with
amendments, to read as follows:

24-26.

(a) At every election hereafter held in this State, every em-
ployer, whether a body corporate, firm or individual, shall allow any
employee who is a registered voter in the State a period of at least
NOT TO EXCEED two hours absence from work on election day,
IF THE EMPLOYEE DOES NOT HAVE TWO HOURS OF
CONTINUOUS OFF-DUTY DURING THE TIME THE POLLS
ARE OPEN, if necessary, with pay, to vote, and the employee shall
furnish to the employer proof that he has voted. For failure thereof,
the employer shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction
thereof shall for each and every offense pay a fine not exceeding the
sum of five hundred dollars ($500) or be imprisoned in jail for a
period not exceeding six months, or both, in the discretion of the
court. Upon request, the judges OF ELECTION shall furnish to
the employee a receipt indicating such proof as required above.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
July 1, 1968.

Approved May 7, 1968.

CHAPTER 615
(House Bill 8)

AN ACT to repeal Sections 28-9 and 28-10 of Article 33 of the
Annotated Code of Maryland (1967 Supplement), title "Election
Code," subtitle "Uniform Act for Voting by Nonresidents in Presi-
dential Elections," to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Sec-
tions 2-7(f), 3-4(b), 3-7(b), 4A-2(d), 4A-3, 5-1, 7-l(b), 8-5(a),
9-1 (a), 9-2(a), 9-5, 11-2(f), 14-1(b), (k) and (n), 15-3(a) and
(f), 15-4(a), 16-16(b)(2), 17-3(a), 17-5(c), 28-2, 28-3 and 28-7
(b) of the said Article of the Code, subtitles respectively "Election
Boards and Employees," "Registration of Voters—General Provi-
sions," "Certificate of Candidacy," "Primary Elections," "Nomi-
nation by Petition," "Certificates of Nomination," "Vacancies in
Nominations—In General," "Vacancies in Nominations—Vacancy
Caused by Death," "Party Governing Bodies," "Paper Ballots,"
"General Provisions for Voting," "Voting Machines," "Board of
Canvassers," and "Uniform Act for Voting by Nonresidents in
Presidential Elections," to amend the 1967 Election Code to correct
certain errors therein and to make miscellaneous changes in sev-
eral provisions of the election law of the State.