1290                            LAWS OF MARYLAND                     [CH. 555

Administrator, his tenure, salary, and office staff and to change
the composition of the Board of State Canvassers and the manner
of performing its duties, and generally relating to the State
Administrative Board of Election Laws.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That new Section 1A-1 be and it is hereby added to Article 33 of the
Annotated Code of Maryland (1967 Replacement Volume and 1968
Supplement), title "Election Code," to follow immediately after Sec-
tion 1-1 thereof, and to be under the new subtitle "State Adminis-
trative Board of Election Laws," and to read as follows:

1A-1. State Administrative Board of Election Laws

(a)    There is hereby created a State Administrative Board of
Election Laws consisting of five members. The members of the
Board shall be appointed by the Governor with the advice and con-
sent of the Senate of Maryland and shall be residents and voters of
the State of Maryland for five years preceding their appointment,
and during the time of acting as a member of this Board shall not
be a candidate for any public or party office. The members first
appointed to this Board shall serve a term of two years from July 1,
1969, to July 1, 1971. All subsequent appointments to a full term
shall be for a period of four years. In case of a vacancy on the Board
by reason of death, resignation or otherwise, occurring when the
Senate is not in session, the Governor shall appoint some eligible
person to fill the vacancy until the end of the next session of the
General Assembly or until some other person is appointed to the
office, whichever first occurs; provided that the appointee must be a
member of the same political party as the individual whom he re-
places. Of the five members appointed to the Board three shall be of
the same political party as the Governor and two shall be of the
political party receiving the second greatest number of votes in the
most recent gubernatorial election. The members of the Board shall
receive no salary but shall be entitled to reimbursement of necessary
expenses in connection with their duties. The members of the Board
shall elect one of their number as the Chairman of the Board.

(b)    There shall be a State Administrator of Election Laws who
shall be appointed by the State Administrative Board of Election
Laws GOVERNOR WITH THE ADVICE AND CONSENT OF THE
HOUSE OF DELEGATES OF MARYLAND. He shall GOVERNOR.
HE SHALL hold office during good behavior for a term of six years
and shall be removable during his term only for incompetence upon
charges furnished in writing by the Board setting forth the
grounds for dismissal, and he shall have ample opportunity for a
hearing. A person may be appointed to successive or additional
terms. His sa