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34 CITIZENSHIP AND Sl?I01'ItAC*E I\ llAltl-L:1N1).
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Under the law, the registers should enroll the names of bonccfidc residents
of the ward in which they seep to vote, who are duly qualified, acc cu'ding
to
the Constitution and Laws of Nlaryl.and and of the L:nited States. This is a
point on which they should duly inf lY that jil
lges of
election could erase names therefrom, if they were sure they were
wrom-;fully
placed thereon. Personal appearance before registers was not essential. Any
citizen of good credit might apply to the registers to lave registered the
name
of any voter, who might be temporarily absent from tile city, or so sick or
infirm as to be unable to appear in person. In such case, the name and
address of the citizen appearing were to be entered, as well as those of
the per-
son registered. Further ,2 if a man's name was not oil the list all he could
convince the judges of election that he was qualified as a voter, but had
peen
absent from the city during tile time of registration, he still could (rive
in his
vote. Sittings of registers for correction of lists were to occur ,just
before
election, and ample publication must be given to the lists at least sit days
before the voting. These lists were made in duplicate, one copy hein-' kept
by the Clerk of Court, with whom the second one is to be deposited by the
judges after the election. Heavy penalties were imposed on all casting
illegal votes or attempting so to do, and lesser ones on those
clhstrw<•tin(;
voters or creating disturbances about places of registry or tile polls. The
Act
did not have a. long life, but was repealed' in 183;3.
Fraud and riot were often found at Baltimore elections of the time, and
the City Council tried to suppress the former by an ordinance paused in
-May, 1838.1 It imposed fines of ten and twenty dollars on - repeating."
false
personification, Sc.
In 1337, the State was divided into three y'llllernatarial <1i~tri(•ts, from
each of which, successively, a Governor was to be elected by p nplllar vote
of
the entire State." To tile General Assenlllly was ~_,ranted power t<1
re-wlu.te ;111
matters concerning appointment of election judges and the time, place and
manner of holding elections.
In 1844, was made the first important law regulatin g ccmteatc,<1 electrons,
providing for due procedure therein, and that contestants should awt no
allow-
(1) Niles Reg. LV, p. 106.
(2) This was omitted from the second Bill,
(8) 1&33, ch. SL\-II.
(4) Ordinances of 1FM, No. 2.
(5) The same provision was in the Constitution of 1951, art. 2.
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