Ballot boxes, how procured and used. cure, for the use of the electors at their meetings, the necessary ballot boxes, with an aperture in the lid of each of such boxes, for the purpose of receiving the votes of the electors, in all cases in which they are required by law to give in their ballots, which boxes the presiding officer at any electors' meeting, when it shall be needed, shall place before him, in a situation convenient for the electors to have access to; and whenever the electors shall be called upon to give in their votes for any officer or officers, with his or their names fairly written or printed, they shall, under the direction of the presiding officer, proceed in regular succession, and shall lay their ballots, successively, on the lid of the respective boxes, and the presiding officer, being satisfied that the ballots given in are single, shall put them into the box through said aperture, and the votes so taken shall be disposed of as the case may require, and as the law directs. SECT. 68. The civil authority, present at any electors' meeting, to assist presid- shall assist the presiding officer, in the business of the meeting, in the receiving, entering, and disposing of the votes, and in making out the proper certificates, according to law. Civil authority ing officer. CHAPTER V. OF THE ELECTION OF STATE OFFICERS, MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL Electors' meet ed. SECT. 69. The constables of the several towns shall warn the ings, how warn electors of their respective towns to meet on the first Monday of April, in each year, at the usual place of holding elections in each town, in Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury, Bridgeport, and Norwalk, at seven o'clock, and in all other towns, at nine o'clock in the morning of said day, unless otherwise ordered by such other towns as hereinafter provided; which warning shall be given, at least five days previous to said meetings, by posting notice thereof on the sign posts in such towns respectively, and in such other places as such towns shall deem necessary; and every town, except such as are divided into districts, may, at a meeting, when special notice has been given for that purpose, designate the place of holding electors' meetings, and the constables in the several towns, that are divided into districts, shall, in the warnings for such electors' meetings, give notice that ballot boxes will be opened, in each of the districts in their respective towns, for the reception of the votes of the electors, entitled to vote therein. 1842. 1800. time at seven o'clock, &c. SECT. 70. The several towns in this state, except the towns of Towns may fix Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury, Bridgeport, and Norwalk, at their annual town meetings, notice to that effect having been inserted in the warning therefor, shall have right, if they see fit, to order that all future electors' meetings in said towns, respectively, shall be warned, opened, and holden, at seven o'clock in the morning, and that the ballot boxes, for all officers to be chosen at said meet ings, shall be opened at that time, and any town, having passed the order aforesaid, may rescind the same at a future annual town meeting, notice to that effect having been inserted in the warning therefor, and in no other manner. 1861. 1865. SECT. 71. The selectmen of each town, which is divided into dis- 1860. tricts, shall provide suitable and convenient places for voting, at Selectmen shall such electors' meeting, in each of such districts, and shall give pub- provide voting places, when. lic notice thereof, at least three weeks before the day of such meeting, in Hartford, New Haven, and Middletown, at least one week before such day, and in Bridgeport, by publishing such notice, in all the daily newspapers printed in said town, at least one week before such day, and the electors of said towns shall give in their ballots in the district, in which each person is registered, according to the provisions of this act. 1858. 1860. whom, and how SECT. 72. At the electors' meeting in each town in this state, 1836. 1851. and in each district in any town, which is divided into districts, the Ballot boxes to selectmen of such town shall provide two ballot boxes, one for the be provided, for reception of votes for governor, lieutenant-governor, treasurer, many, &c. secretary, comptroller, senator, and judge of probate, and, when necessary, sheriff, and member of congress, and one for the reception of votes for representative, or representatives, in the general assembly; and said selectmen shall also provide a ballot box, in each of said towns and districts, for the reception of votes for justices of the peace, on the first Monday of April, 1866, and biennially thereafter; and the presiding officers of electors' meetings, and assistant presiding officers of such meetings in districts, where any town is divided into districts, shall cause the ballot boxes at said meetings to be plainly marked, so that each elector, as he approaches the box, may be fairly warned upon which box to deposit his ballot; and the box, for the reception of ballots for governor, lieutenant-governor, treasurer, secretary, comptroller, senator, judge of probate, sheriff, and member of congress, shall, be marked "state ticket;" the box, for the reception of the ballots for representative or representatives, shall be marked "representatives;" and the box, for the reception of the ballots for justices of the peace, shall be marked "justices." SECT. 73. Whenever a portion of the territory of any town shall 1852. When portions belong to one probate district, and another portion of the territory of a town are in of such town shall belong to another probate district, the selectmen separate probate districts, how to of such town shall provide separate ballot boxes, in which the elect-proceed. ors, respectively residing in the said several probate districts, and qualified to vote for representatives in such town, shall deposit their votes for judge of probate of the district, of which the territory, on which such electors respectively reside, forms a part. 1836. 1851. When ballot box to remain open, SECT. 74. The ballot boxes, at the electors' meeting, shall be opened for the reception of votes, and shall remain open for such es shall be openpurpose, from the hour at which said meeting is warned, until five ed, and how long o'clock in the afternoon of said day, when the same shall be closed; &c. and the presiding officer, and assistant presiding officers, in towns which are divided into districts, shall publicly call upon the electors to bring in their ballots, while said boxes are open, for governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary, treasurer, comptroller, senator, judge of probate, and also sheriff, and member of congress, if such officers are to be chosen, with the name and office fairly written, or printed, on one piece of paper, and for representative, or representatives, and justices of the peace, with the name, or names, for such representa Voting, how to be conducted. 1836. to declare the boxes open. tives, where any town is entitled to two, and for justices of the peace, not exceeding the number of such officers to be elected, writ ten or printed, respectively, in the manner aforesaid. SECT. 75. Each elector may, at any time during the day of such electors' meeting, and while said ballot boxes are open, deposit a ballot in or upon each of said respective boxes, designating the office against the name of each person voted for upon the state ticket, and where the ballot shall be deposited upon the box by any elector, the presiding officer of such meeting, and the assistant presiding officer of the district, or any person designated by such presiding officer, or assistant presiding officer in that respect, shall deposit such ballot in such box; and the ballots in said boxes shall be counted and publicly declared, before said meeting is adjourned, as is hereinafter provided. SECT. 76. When such electors' meeting is opened, the presiding Presiding officers officer, and assistant presiding officer in districts, shall declare, to the electors present, that the ballot boxes are open for the reception of votes for such officers, as are then to be elected, and shall give to all electors, qualified to vote, an opportunity to deposit their votes in said ballot boxes. 1860. 1861. Votes to be counted and declared. SECT. 77. The presiding officer, assisted by the town clerk and selectmen, except in towns which are divided into districts, shall count the votes, and declare them in the public meeting of the electors; and immediately after the ballot boxes are closed, in towns which are divided into districts, the presiding officer in each of said towns, and the assistant presiding officers in the several districts, shall, with the aid of the civil authority then present, and such other persons only, as he may select, proceed in their respective districts to sort and count the ballots which have been given in, in said districts; and the several assistant presiding officers shall each make a true certificate of all the ballots, given for the respective officers in said districts, and shall forthwith transmit such certifi cates, together with the ballots received, the lists of voters as checked, and, in the towns of Hartford, New Haven, Middletown, and Bridgeport, the ballot boxes containing the same, to the presiding officer in the first district; and thereupon such presiding officer, after having ascertained the result of the ballots in the whole town, as given in, in the several districts as aforesaid, shall declare the same in open meeting, at the place of voting in the first district. SECT. 78. The votes for representatives shall be counted and sentatives, to be publicly declared, before the meeting is adjourned; and if the town counted and de- is entitled to one representative only, then the person, having the greatest number of votes, shall be declared to be chosen; but if entitled to two representatives, then the two persons, having the greatest number of votes, shall be declared to be chosen. 1851. Votes for elared before adjournment. 1859. counted unless boxes. SECT. 79. No ballot for any officer, required by law to be voted Ballots not to be for upon the state ticket, shall be counted, unless the said ballot deposited in or shall be, by the elector, deposited in or upon the box marked "state. on the proper ticket;" and no ballot for a representative, or representatives, to the general assembly, shall be counted, unless said ballot shall be, by the elector, deposited in or upon the box marked "representatives;" and no ballot for justices of the peace shall be counted, unless the same shall be, by the elector, deposited in or upon the box marked, "justices;" and whenever there shall be found, in either of said Double ballots boxes, double ballots for any of the officers to be so balloted for, the same shall not be counted, but shall be wholly rejected, as having not to be counted. been fraudulently deposited in violation of this act; nor shall any ballot be counted, which is found in any other box, than the one designated for such ballot. Triplicate list of SECT. 80. The presiding officer of such electors' meeting shall 1886. 1851. make out triplicate lists of the votes, given for each of the following votes to be made, officers, viz: governor, lieutenant-governor, treasurer, secretary, and how depositcomptroller, senator, and judges of probate, and sheriff, and member of congress, whenever said officers are to be chosen; one of which lists shall be sealed up by the presiding officer, directed to the secretary of this state, and returned to said secretary, or to the sheriff of the county, in which the town is situated, within ten days after such meeting, and another of such lists, within three days after such meeting, shall be delivered to the town clerk, and each sheriff receiving said votes shall, within fifteen days after said meeting, return the same, or cause them to be returned, to the secretary of this state; the other of said lists shall be sealed up by the presiding officer, directed to the secretary of this state, and within two days after said electors' meeting, said presiding officer shall cause the same to be deposited in the post office in said town, or, if there be none, in the post office of an adjoining town, for transmission by mail. 1851. Sheriffs liable for SECT. 81. Any sheriff, who shall refuse to receive any official 1840. returns of votes for governor, lieutenant-governor, treasurer, secre- neglect to return tary, comptroller, senator, judge of probate, sheriff, or member of votes. congress, or for electors of president and vice-president of the United States, which shall be returned to him from any town of the county of which he is sheriff, within the time prescribed by law for their return, or, having received the same within said time, shall neglect, or refuse, to return said votes, or cause the same to be returned to the secretary of this state, within fifteen days after the meeting at which said votes were given, shall forfeit, to the treasury of this state, the sum of two hundred dollars. 1851. Presiding officer ,and for false re SECT. 82. Every presiding officer, at any meeting of the electors 1886. in any town in this state, who shall neglect to make return, as here- liable for neglect in prescribed, of the votes given at said meeting for governor, lieu- to make return, tenant-governor, treasurer, secretary, comptroller, senator, judge of turn. probate, sheriff, and member of congress, when such officers are to be chosen, or of electors of president and vice-president of the United States, when those officers are to be chosen, shall forfeit the sum of twenty dollars to the treasurer of this state. transmit blanks SECT. 83. The secretary of this state, for the time being, shall Secretary to annually transmit the blank forms, hereafter prescribed for the to be used by return of votes, to the town clerks of the several towns for the use presiding officers, of said towns, and the presiding officers, in the meetings of the electors in the respective towns, shall make out the votes and proceedings of the electors, according to such forms; that is to say, Forms of returns. of the votes for governor, as follows, to wit: At a meeting of the electors in the town of and held, on the first Monday of April, A. D. legally warned For governor. the following persons received the number of votes annexed to their names respectively, for governor of this state, to wit: Names. Number of votes in words at Triplicate list of votes for governor, Certified by A. B., Presiding Officer. Lieutenant-gov. ernor. to wit: legally warned the following per Of the votes for lieutenant-governor, as follows, At a meeting of the electors in the town of and held, on the first Monday of April, A. D. sons received the number of votes annexed to their names respectively, for lieutenant-governor of this state, to wit: Names. Number of votes in words at full length. Treasurer. Secretary. Comptroller. Triplicate list of votes for lieutenant-governor, Of the votes for treasurer, as follows, to wit: Names. legally warned the following their names re Number of votes in words at full length. legally warned the following Of the votes for comptroller, as follows, to wit: At a meeting of the electors in the town of and held, on the first Monday of April, A. D. persons received the number of votes annexed to their names respectively, for comptroller of public accounts, to wit: Names. Number of votes in words at full length. Senator. Triplicate list of votes for comptroller of public accounts, Of the votes for Senator, as follows, to wit: legally warned the following to their names |