Chap. 200.—An ACT to Amend and Re-enact Section twenty-four of the
Act approved May eleventh, eighteen hundred and seventy, entitled an
Act to Provide for a General Election.

Approved March 20, 1873.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly, That section
twenty-four of the act approved May eleven, eighteen hundred
and seventy, entitled an act to provide for a general election,
be and the same is hereby amended and re-enacted so as to
read as follows: }

Judges of election, how appointed.

§ 24. It shall be the duty of the county and corporation
courts, annually, at the April term thereof, to select and ap-
point three competent male citizens from each voting district
in their respective counties or corporations, for each voting
place therein, who, when so selected and appointed, shall con-
stitute the judges of election for all elections to be held in
their respective districts for the period of one year, dating
from their appointment, and who shall have power to appoint
two clerks for each place of voting at such election ; and when-
ever it is practicable to do so, the citizens so selected and ap-
pointed as judges of election shall be chosen for each voting
place from amongst persons known to belong to different polit-
ical parties. But no election shall be deemed invalid where
the citizens appointed as judges shall not belong to different
political parties. And should any judge of election fail to
attend at any place of voting for one hour after the time pre-
scribed by law for opening the polls at such election, it shall
be lawful for the judge or judges in attendance to select from
among the bystanders one or more persons possessing the
qualification of judges of election, who shall act as judge or
judges of such election, and who shall have all the powers and
authority of judges appointed by the proper court. Should
all the judges appointed for any place of voting fail to attend
at the place of voting for one hour after the time prescribed
by law for opening the polls at such election, it shall be the
duty of any justice of the peace of the township in which the
election is held, who shall be applied to for that purpose, or
the mayor, if the election is in any election district in a town
or city, to appoint three judges of election for such election
district, who shall possess the same qualifications, and have
the same powers, as judges appointed by the proper court.
Should no judges of election be appointed for any county,
city, or place of voting therein, or if appointed they neglect
or refuse to act for one hour after the time prescribed by law
for opening the polls at such election, it shall be lawful for any
three competent freeholders of the district, who may be pre-
sent and willing to act, upon taking the oath prescribed for
judges of election, to proceed to hold, conduct and certify the
election in the manner provided in this act, and for that pur-
pose shall have all the powers and authority of judges appointed
by the proper courts: provided, that the judges of the county
and corporation courts, in term or vacation, shall have power
to fill vacancies in such appointments in their respective coun-
ties and corporations, whenever necessary to do so.
2. This act shall be in force from its passage.