You are not permitted to stay in the election booth longer than it is necessary to mark your ballot, and in no event longer than five minutes. (Sec. 352.) You must not hold any conversation in the polling room other than with members of the Election Board. If you display your ballot to show how you have voted, it cannot be placed in the ballot box. You cannot receive another ballot and cannot vote. A minute of the fact that you have displayed your ballot must be made on the poll list; and also on the ballot and signed by the poll clerks. The ballot so displayed shall be preserved with the mutilated ballots. If you mark your ballot with any other pencil than the blue pencil handed you by the poll clerk, your ballot will be void. Closing the Polls. The polls must be closed at six P. M. by the Inspector so announcing the closing in a loud tone of voice. A record of such announcement must be made on the poll list by the Clerks. Any voter who has been admitted into the room before the announcement of closing was made, but who has not yet voted, should be allowed to vote, but no person should be admitted to the room after such announcement. Ballots Preserved. All ballots cast in any primary or general election held in this state, as soon as counted, together with all uncast ballots, shall be placed in a strong paper bag or envelope, by the inspector, in the presence of the judges and clerks, tightly closed and well sealed by him with wax, which envelope shall be delivered by the inspector to the clerk of the circuit court of the county at the earliest possible period before or on the Thursday next succeeding said election. The inspector must keep the envelope until delivered to the circuit court, and permit no one to open it or tamper with the ballots or papers therein. Upon delivery of same to clerk of circuit court the inspector must take and subscribe on oath that he has securely kept said envelope, ballots and papers therein, and that he has not suffered or permitted any person to break the seal or open said envelope or tamper with ballots or papers, which oath shall be filed in said clerk's office with the other election papers. The clerk of the circuit court shall preserve such ballots for at least six months from the date of receiving the same. They shall be subject only to the demand of the judge of any circuit or superior court of the state in connection with any litigation arising from the primary or general election at which they were cast, and at the end of six months he shall destroy them. (Sec. 120.) (Acts 1915, p. 590.) Pencils Destroyed. Before the ballots cast or uncast in any primary or general election in this state shall have been counted, all the pencils used in marking the ballots used in such primary or general election, shall be destroyed. (Sec. 121.) (Acts 1915, p. 591.) PART IX. COUNTING THE VOTE AND MAKING RETURNS IN PRECINCTS. Watchers.-Immediately upon closing the polls one watcher for each party holding a certificate of appointment from the County Chairman of his party is entitled to enter the election room and remain until the count is completed and the returns made up. The election officers and the legally appointed watchers are the only persons entitled to be in the room while the votes are being counted and returns made out. Mutilated and Unvoted Ballots.-Before commencing to count the votes, all mutilated and unvoted ballots of each party should be counted and placed in separate bags, sealed, and the number of each kind of votes marked on the outside, and the names of the election officers subscribed thereto. These bags must be taken by the Inspector to the Clerk's office with the returns. Counting and Tallying the Votes.-The entire Election Board must count the votes of each party. But one ballot box shall be opened at a time, the Board determining the order in which the boxes shall be opened. When a ballot box is opened the count of the votes in that box must be completed and the return sheets of the votes in that box made up and signed by the Board, before another box is opened. As soon as the ballots of one box have all been counted, they must be placed in a bag, securely sealed, and properly labeled, showing the number of ballots contained in the bag voted and counted, and the number voted and not counted, if any. Each Election officer must sign his name on this bag and the bag be delivered to the Clerk's office by the Inspector with the returns. When all the votes of one party have been counted, the returns made and ballots sealed up, the ballot box of another party is opened, the votes counted, and returns made in a like manner. The Inspector takes one ballot at a,time out of the box and reads it aloud in view of one of the judges, while each poll clerk tallies the votes as it is read. As soon as a ballot is read, it is handed to the other judge, who strings it; another ballot is then taken out of the box and counted in a like manner. Any member of the Election Board may protest as to the counting of any ballot or part thereof, and any ballot which is not endorsed with the initials of the poll clerks, as provided by law, and any ballot which shall bear any distinguishing mark or mutilation shall be void, and shall not be counted, and any ballot or part of a ballot from which it is impossible to determine the elector's choice of candidates shall not be counted for the candidate or candidates affected thereby. Before the ballots are placed in the bag one of the poll clerks shall endorse upon the back of each disputed or protested ballot the word "counted" or "not counted" as the case may be, and said endorsement shall be signed officially by both of said poll clerks. (Sec. 356.) Rules for Counting Votes. The duty of the precinct Primary Board in counting and tallying the votes cast in a precinct consists in a correct reading of the ballots by the inspector and a proper tally by the poll clerk, so that there shall be tallied on the tally sheet the first choice votes received by each candidate and also in separate squares the second choice votes cast for each candidate by the first choice supporters of each of his rival candidates. The Precinct Board has nothing whatever to do with dropping the names of candidates. Canvassing Boards. Tally Sheets. This is the duty of the County and State The following form of precinct tally sheets will be supplied for each set of candidates to be voted for in the precinct, except that the forms for tallying the votes cast for delegates and precinct committeemen contain no provision for counting second choice votes. |