756                                 Laws of Maryland                        [Ch. 354

12-1.

(c) Election at party convention. In the case of a political party
which is not entitled to nominate candidates for public office by
means of primary elections, subsections (a) and (b) of this section
shall not apply and in lieu thereof delegates and alternate delegates
to represent the said political party at its respective national con-
vention shall be elected at a party convention in accordance with
the lawful rules and practices of the said political party.

12-2.

(a) Any person who is a candidate for the nomination of a party
[, subject to the provisions of this subtitle] which must nominate
candidates for State public office by means of primary elections under
the provisions of this article, for the office of President of the United
States, and who desires to obtain the vote of the delegates from
Maryland of the party in its national convention, may become a
candidate for nomination in primary elections to be held in accord-
ance with the provisions of this article only:

(1)  By direction of the Secretary of State who shall place the name
of the candidate upon the ballot no sooner than 70 days nor later than
53 days preceding the date set by law for the primary election when
he has determined in his sole discretion that the candidate's candidacy
is generally advocated or recognized in national news media through-
out the United States, unless the candidate executes and files with
the Secretary of State an affidavit stating without qualification that
he is not and does not intend to become a candidate for the office at
the forthcoming election;

(2)  By making the payment required and by filing with the State
Administrative Board of Election Laws, a petition in the form pre-
scribed by the State Administrative Board of Election Laws which
shall contain the signatures of not less than 400 of the registered
voters within each congressional district, at least 53 days preceding
the date set by law for the primary election. Nothing in this section
shall require compliance with Section 7-1.

(3)  Notwithstanding any other provisions of this article, when-
ever any person who has been nominated in any presidential primary
election, in a writing signed by him and acknowledged before a
justice of the peace or notary public, notifies the officer or board
with whom the certificate of candidacy, or petition for nomination,
or name is required to be filed by this article, at least forty-five (45)
days before the primary that he desires to withdraw as a candidate
for the nomination, his name shall be withdrawn and the name of
any person so withdrawing shall not be printed upon the ballots to
be used at the presidential primary election. The filing of a valid
certificate of withdrawal of candidacy is a final act of withdrawal;
and a person who files a certificate of withdrawal may not reinstate
his candidacy, unless the time limit for the filing of candidacies has
not expired. No filing fees shall be refunded to persons who withdraw
in accordance with this section, subject, however, to Section 4A-7
of this article. Nothing in this section shall apply to a candidate
who qualifies under Section 12-2 (a) (1).

SEC. 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, THAT IF ANY
PROVISION OF THIS ACT OR THE APPLICATION THEREOF