Marvin Mandel, Governor                         745

matters generally related to filing fees, certificates of nomination,
certificates of candidacy, nomination of candidates by petition,
nomination of candidates at primary elections, filling vacancies
in nominations, party conventions, the adoption and filing of
interim and permanent constitutions and by-laws by political
parties, party central committees and national conventions by
political parties; and for other matters and provisions generally
relating thereto.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Sections l-l(a)(8A), 1-1(a) (15), 4-1, 4A-1, 4A-4(d), 5-1,
7-1(a), 7-1(b), 8-1, 9-2, 9-4, 10-1, 11-1(a), 11-1(d), 11-2(a), 11-2(b),
11-3(a), and 12-2(a) of Article 33 of the Annotated Code of Mary-
land, (1967 Replacement Volume and 1970 Supplement), (1971 RE-
PLACEMENT VOLUME), title "Election Code" be and they are
hereby repealed and re-enacted, with amendments; to repeal Sections
4A-6 (e) and 6-1 of said Article of said Code; to add new Section
3-9A thereto, to follow immediately after Section 3-9 thereof; to add
new Section 4B-1 to said Code to be under the new subtitle "New
Political Parties," and to follow immediately after Section 4A-8
thereof; to add new Section 4C-1 to said Code to be under the new
subtitle "Loss of Status as Political Party," to follow immediately
after new Section 4B-1 thereof; to add new Section 9A-1 to said
Code to be under the new subtitle "Party Designation on Ballot,"
to follow immediately after Section 9-5 thereof; and to add new
Section 12-1 (c) thereto, to follow immediately after Section 12-1 (b)
thereof; and all to read as follows:

1-1.

(a)(8A) "Independent" means any voter who has declined to
affiliate with a political party [entitled to nominate candidates at a
primary election or in a primary meeting].

(15) "Party" or "political party" as used in this article shall
mean [s] an organized group of the electorate that attempts to
control government through the election of its candidates to office
[.] , and which either:

(i) shall have polled one percentum or more of the entire vote
cast in the State in the general election held in the State on either
November 5,1968 or November 3, 1970; or

(ii) shall have filed a valid Petition for the formation of a polit-
ical party pursuant to Section 4B-1 of this article. But, if any
such party shall lose its status as a political party pursuant to the
provisions of Section 4C-1 of this article, then it shall cease to be
a "party" or "political party" for purposes of this article.

3-9A. Reports of registration by boards; statement of registra-
tion by State Administrative Board of Election Laws.

(a) Reports of Registration.—Within fifteen days after the com-
mencement of the six month period before a primary election in
which voters already registered shall not be allowed to affiliate with
a party or change party affiliation for purposes of this article,
pursuant to Section 3-8 (b) of this article, the board for each county
of the State and for the City of Baltimore shall submit to the State