Marvin Mandel, Governor                       1553

and "Voting Machines"; be and they are hereby repealed and re-
enacted, with amendments; and that Section 1A-1(f) of Article 33
of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1971 Replacement Volume),
title "Election Code," subtitle "State Administrative Board of Elec-
tion Laws" be and it is hereby repealed, and all to read as follows:

1A-1.

(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 consent 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 hold any
public or party office or 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 appoint-
ments 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 indi-
vidual whom he replaces. Of the five members appointed to the Board
three shall be of the majority party and two shall be of the minority
party. The members of the Board shall receive [no salary but shall
be entitled to reimbursement of necessary expenses in connection
with their duties.] per diem compensation as provided in the budget
for each day actually engaged in the discharge of his official duties
as well as reimbursement for all necessary and proper expenses. The
members of the Board shall elect one of their number as the chair-
man of the Board.

[(f) The State Administrative Board of Election Laws shall
establish and maintain a repository for all federal decennial census
information concerning this State and make it available to legis-
lators and legislative committees as requested, for studies of legis-
lative apportionment or other purposes. The information main-
tained by the Board shall be accepted as official and authentic federal
decennial census information, by all courts, judges, officials and
employees of this State and of its political subdivisions.]

[(g)] (f) In each year preceding any year in which a primary
and general election is to be held in the State, the State Adminis-
trative Board of Election Laws shall conduct meetings of the mem-
bers of the boards in the State. It shall be mandatory for those mem-
bers of the boards, the principal administrative officers of the boards
and the counsel for the boards who are designated by the State Ad-
ministrative Board to attend at least one of the meetings. The meet-
ings shall be held at a time and place and continue for such period
of time as determined by the State Administrative Board. The pur-
pose of the meetings shall be to instruct the members of the boards,
designated employees and counsel as to their duties in the conduct
of elections. Each member of the boards, other employees or counsels
who shall attend the meetings shall be paid an expense allowance
of $25.00 for each day of the meeting attended and shall be paid