keepers.

admitted.

SEC. 21. In all townships, and all voting precincts in Railing to cities, the township board of each township, and the various be erected. officers whose duty it may be to designate and prescribe the place or places of holding general elections in the several cities, wards, election districts and voting precincts throughout the State, shall provide for, and cause to be erected in the room where elections are to be held a railing or fence four feet in height, which railing or fence shall be placed through and across the room, and shall cause gates to be erected in said railing. The entrance gate shall be in charge Gates and of a gate keeper appointed at the opening of the polls by the board of election inspectors, and duly sworn to allow no person to pass through said gate and enter within said railing except to vote and no other persons except the election officials and duly authorized challengers shall be allowed Who to be inside of said railing during the time of voting. As soon as the elector has voted he shall retire without and shall not again be admitted within the railing. Only as many electors as there are booths shall be allowed within the railing at one and the same time, and the electors shall be admitted in the order in which they shall apply. The entrance Entrance gate shall be placed at one side of the room, and on the in- gate. side of said railing a booth or temporary room shall be erected. At least one such booth shall be provided at each polling Booths. place, and not less than one for each hundred persons entitled to vote thereat, as shown by the last preceding registration of electors. Such booth shall be built with walls not less than six feet high and in such a manner that the person preparing the ballot shall be concealed from all other persons. Said railing shall also contain an exit gate, which Exit gate shall be under the care of an officer appointed by the board and keeper. and duly sworn, as above. In all cities in this State, such Use of schoolpolling places shall be provided in school houses, police sta- houses, etc. tions or other permanent structures owned and controlled by the municipality wherever such buildings are so located as to be convenient for the electors in such districts and wherever there is space in such buildings which may properly be utilized for the purpose of polling places. Wherever there is no such municipally controlled building of the character above described, in any voting district, arrangements shall be made for the rental or erection of suitable buildings for voting purposes. In all cities such polling places shall be Rental or equipped with the necessary facilities for lighting with elec- buildings. tricity or gas and with adequate facilities for heat and ventilation. If the proper officials shall neglect to take the necessary steps to make this act effective any resident elector of such city may institute mandamus proceedings in his own Mandamus. proper person to compel such officials to make such provision. Whether or not the officials charged with carrying into effect the provisions of this section have properly complied with its terms shall be subject to judicial determination in such proceeding.

erection of

Opening of packages of ballots.

Initialing.

Delivery

to voter.

When elector may be assisted.

Oath.

Straight

ticket,

Special questions.

Names to be read.

SEC. 22. At the opening of the polls after the organization of and in the presence of the board of inspectors, one of the inspectors shall open the packages of ballots in such a manner as to preserve the seal intact. He shall then deliver to any one of the inspectors fifty of the ballots, and shall place the pencils for marking the ballots in the booths. Any inspector initialing ballots shall at once proceed to write his initials in ink or with lead or indelible pencil (or with a facsimile signature stamp of his initials, using indelible ink) on the back of the ballot directly below the perforated line, so that the same shall not be torn off when the number is torn off by the inspector, in his ordinary handwriting and without any distinguishing mark of any kind. As each successive voter calls for a ballot, one of the inspectors shall deliver to him the first signed of the fifty ballots, and as the supply of ballots in the hands of the inspectors shall decrease, additional ballots shall be signed by an inspector, so that at least twenty-five ballots so signed shall be at all times in the hands of the inspector delivering the ballots to the electors. SEC. 32. When an elector shall state under oath duly administered by some member of the election board that he cannot read English or that because of physical disability he cannot mark his ballot and such disability shall be made manifest to said inspectors he shall be assisted in the marking of his ballot by an inspector designated by the board for that purpose. Such oath shall be administered before such elector is given a ballot and in the presence of all the inspectors and challengers present in the booth, and shall be in the following form: "You do solemnly swear (or affirm) that you cannot mark your ballot because of

When

(here state disability.) an assisted voter shall state that he wishes to vote a straight how marked. party ticket his cross shall be placed in the circle at the head of the column of the party which he indicates as the one of his choice and no other mark shall be placed thereon. Any special questions to be voted upon shall then be read to him and shall be marked in the manner directed. If the voter does not state that he desires to vote a straight party ticket the inspector assisting him shall read the first office on the ballot and the names of candidates in all the party columns appearing on the ballot indicating the party represented by each candidate as the name is read. When the voter indicates his choice or states that he does not desire to vote for any candidate for such office, then the next office and the names of the candidates therefor shall be read to him in the manner described and so on until the entire ballot, including any special questions to be voted upon, has been read. In no case shall the inspector mark a ballot or permit a voter being assisted to mark a ballot without reading to him the names of all candidates for such office except when he shall vote a straight ticket as indicated above. All ballots of voters assisted shall be marked for identification the same as is provided by law where the voter is challenged. The

Ballots to be marked.

of list.

inspector shall not volunteer such assistance nor mark the ballot unless the elector is physically incapable of marking the ballot for himself. Whenever an elector is thus sworn Record. there shall be entered on a list, the form for which shall be furnished the inspectors of election for that purpose by the clerk of the township or city, the name and address of the voter thus sworn and the words "sworn to disability," with a statement as to the nature of the disability and the date of the election at which such entry was made. At the close of Certification the election such list shall be signed and certified as correct by each member of the election board and shall be filed with the clerk of such township or city at the same time and in the same manner as the registrar of electors. If no elector shall have been assisted as herein provided, such fact shall be certified to upon such list. Any elector who shall swear falsely False swearing. that he is incapable of marking his ballot, shall be guilty of perjury and upon conviction, subject to the punishments provided by law therefor. Any inspector who shall administer an Penalty. oath or who shall permit an oath to be administered in his presence to any person whom he knows to be capable of marking the ballot for himself or who shall assist any elector in any manner contrary to the provisions contained herein, or who shall neglect or refuse to keep the record of such oath having been administered or to mark the ballot of an assisted voter for identification, as is required herein, shall upon conviction be punished as provided in section forty-five of this act. SEC. 48. Whenever any constitutional amendments or other Submission questions are proposed to be submitted to the electors, the ments or board of election commissioners of each county shall cause them all to be printed on ballots separate and distinct from the ballot containing the names of nominees for public office, the substance of each amendment or other question to be clearly indicated upon said ballot by a suitable designation in distinct and easily legible type, with the words "yes" and "no" printed below it in separate lines. The elector shall How designate his vote on each separate question submitted by a cross mark (X) placed opposite the word "yes" or the word "no" under such question in a suitable place provided therefor. The said ballots shall be of uniform size and of the same Ballots. quality of white paper, and sufficiently thick that the printing cannot be distinguished from the back. Such ballots shall Numbered. be numbered and initialed the same as is required by law for the numbering and initialing of ballots containing the names

of amend

questions.

marked.

of nominees for public office. They shall be delivered to the Delivery, etc. inspectors and electors, and voted and canvassed in all respects in the same manner and subject to the same regulations, restric tions and penalties heretofore provided in this chapter for the ballots containing the names of the nominees for public offices, except that separate ballot boxes shall be kept and used, the Separate box for the deposit of the ballots for nominees being designated by the words "public officers," plainly printed or painted thereon, so as to be readily seen by each elector, and the box

boxes.

Proviso, female electors.

Intention
to appoint
challengers,
when filed.

What to set forth.

for the deposit of ballots for constitutional amendments and other questions to be designated by the words "propositions submitted" in the same manner: Provided, That questions on which female electors are permitted to vote shall be submitted on a separate ballot from that on which only male electors are permitted to vote.

SEC. 49. Not less than ten nor more than twenty days prior to any election any organization or committee of citizens other than political party committees authorized by the provisions of this act and intending to appoint challengers at such election shall file with the clerk of the county, village or city in which such election is to be held, a statement setting forth the intention of such organization or committee to appoint such challengers. Such statement shall set forth the reason why such organization or committee claims the right to appoint such challengers with a facsimile of the card to be used and shall be signed and sworn to by the chief presiding officer, the secretary or some other officer of such Names, when organization or committee. Not less than five days preceding any election when such statements shall have been filed with him, it shall be the duty of such clerk to furnish to the inspectors of election in such county, village or city, the names of any organizations or committee authorized to appoint and keep challengers at the places of voting in such county, vilUnauthorized lage or city. Any person who shall file such statement in behalf of any organization or committee not authorized by the provisions of this act to appoint such challengers, or any county, village or city clerk who shall fail to perform the duties required of him by the provisions of this section, shall upon conviction, be punished as provided in section forty-five of this act.

furnished.

statement.

Penalty.

Stealing or destroying documents,

etc.

Fraudulent entry, etc.

Penalty.

Acts to be printed.

Inspectors to be supplied.

SEC. 50. Every inspector of election, registrar, clerk, or other officer or person having the custody of any record, registry of voters, election list of voters, affidavit, return or statement of votes, certificates, poll book, or of any paper, document or vote of any description, in this act directed to be made, filed or preserved, who is guilty of stealing, wilfully destroying, mutilating, defacing, falsifying or fraudulently removing or secreting the whole or any part thereof; or who shall fraudulently make any entry, erasure, or alteration therein, except as allowed and directed by the provisions of this act; or who permits any other person so to do, shall upon conviction thereof be punished as provided in section fortyfive of this act.

SEC. 51. It shall be the duty of the Secretary of State to have a sufficient number of copies of this act together with act number one hundred eighty of the Public Acts of eighteen hundred seventy-seven printed prior to each regular biennial election in November to supply a copy to each inspector of election in each township, village and city of this State. There shall be printed on the fly leaf of each copy a statement over the name of the Attorney General, calling the