4414

MUNICIPAL CHARTERS

(iv) (a) The Board of Election Judges
shall not open or unfold any absentee ballots at any time
prior to the closing of the polls and the beginning of
the canvass of the ballots,

At any time after the closing of the polls and not
later than the canvass of the votes cast at the regular
voting places in the Town at any election, the Board of
Election Judges shall meet and proceed to count, certify
and canvass the absentee ballots contained in the ballot
envelopes received by them prior to the closing of the
polls on election day. No ballot shall be rejected by
the Board except by the unanimous vote of the entire
Board. All voters' applications, medical certificates,
notarial affidavits, certifications, ballot envelopes and
ballots shall be kept separate and apart from ballots
cast at the regular voting places and retained for six
(6) months after the date of the election at which they
were cast, unless prior to that time, the Board shall be
ordered by a Court of competent jurisdiction to keep the
same for any longer period.

(b)    Any absentee ballot voted
for a person who has ceased to be a candidate shall not
be counted for such candidate but such vote shall not
invalidate the remainder of such ballot.

(c)    Whenever the Board shall
determine from proof or investigation that any person who
has marked, transmitted or deposited in person with the
Board an absentee ballot has died before election day,
the Board shall not count the ballot of said deceased
voter.

(d)    If the Board determines the
provisions for filling out and signing the oath on the
outside of the ballot envelope have been substantially
complied with and that the person signing the voter's
oath is entitled to vote under this section and has not
already voted on election day, they shall open the ballot
envelope and remove the ballot therefrom and place it in
the ballot box or ballot boxes prepared for that purpose.
When any ballot envelope is opened, the Board shall enter
in the election poll book the fact that the voter whose
name appears thereon has voted using the initials "A.B."
to indicate the vote has been by absentee ballot. If
there be more than one (1) ballot in the ballot envelope,
all shall be rejected. Absentee ballots may be marked by
any kind of pencil or ink. If any Board receives from
the same person prior to the closing of the polls on
election day more than one (1) absentee ballot, it shall
count, certify and canvass only the absentee ballot
contained in the ballot envelope on which the voter's
oath is first executed, and if the oath on two (2) or