Chap. 69.—An ACT to authorize the Qualified Voters of the County of
Chesterfield to Vote on the Question of Removal of the County Court-
house.

Approved February 12, 1876.

Whereas many citizens of the county of Chesterfield have
memorialized the general assembly that the sense of the
people of the county should be taken upon the change of lo-
cation of the courthouse of said county: therefore,

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
it shall be the duty of officers conducting the elections in
the county of Chesterfield, at the time and places for holding
the elections on the fourth Thursday in May next in said
county, to prepare a separate ballot-box, in which shall be
deposited the ballots of the qualified voters who shall desire
to vote upon the question of. said removal. .

2. The said ballots shall be respectfully as follows: “For
the city of Manchester;” “For the former location.” Each
ballot which shall have written or printed thereon “For the
city of Mancester,” shall be taken as a vote against the re-
moval of the courthouse; and each ballot having written or
printed thereon “For the former location,” shall be deemed
and taken as a vote for the removal of the courthouse to the
old courthouse belonging to said county, from which the seat
of justice of said county was removed in the year eighteen
hundred and seventy-one.

3. The officers conducting said election shall receive the
ballot of every qualified voter applying to vote on the ques-
tion of removal, and deposit it in the box provided for that
purpose. And it shall be the duty of the said officers to

eep.a poll-book, distinct and separate from the poll-books
required by the general election law of the state, to be pro-
vided by the clerk of the county court, and paid for out of
the county treasury, in which said poll-book shall be entered
the name of every voter voting upon the question of removal
of said courthouse; and said officers shall otherwise proceed
with, certify, and return said polls to the clerk of the county
court of said county, and shall be liable to the same penal-
ties for neglect of duty as are prescribed by the general
election laws: provided however, that the failure of said of-
ficers to certify and return the said vote upon said poll-book,
shall not affect the legality of said election, but said return
may be made upon paper, in figures or in words. -

4, It shall be the duty of the judge of the county court in
term time or in vacation, to appoint five discreet citizens of
said county to act as commissioners, any three or more of
whom shall constitute a board, of which the clerk of said
county court shall be ex-officio clerk, whose duty it shall be
tg meet at the clerk’s office of the county court of Chester-
field county on the Monday next succeeding said election,
and then and there proceed to open the several returns which
shall have been made at that office under the provisions of
this act; and shall certify in writing to the county court of
said county the number of votes cast for and against the re-
moval of said courthouse. But said commissioners, before
proceeding to act, shall take and subscribe before some offi-
cer authorized to administer oaths in said county, an oath
for the honest and faithful] discharge of their duties as such
commissioners, which oath shall be filed in the office of the
clerk of said court. :

5. If a majority ot the votes shall be for the removal of
said courthouse, then the former location uf said courthouse,
from which the same was removed on the first day of Janu-
ary, eighteen hundred and seventy-one, shall be to all intents
and purposes the place for holding the courts of said county
of Chesterfield and the business incident thereto, except as
herein provided, from and after the first day of July, eigh-
teen hundred and seventy-six: provided however, that the
clerks’ offices of the several courts of said county shall re-
main and be kept in the city of Manchester until the firat
day of January, in the year eighteen hundred and seventy-
eight, when and at which time, in case of the removal of
said courthouse, the said clerks’ offices shall be removed and
be kept at the place of location of said ¢gourthouse. And in
case it shall be determined to remove said courthouse, it shall
be the duty of the county court of said county to have such
repairs made to the buildings of said former location owned
by the county and formerly used by the county as a court-
house, clerks’ offices, and jail, as may be necessary.

6. It shall be lawful for the common council of the city
of Manchester, by such agents as it may, with the consent
aud approval of the judge of the county court of said county
duly entered of record, designate and appoint for that pur-
pose, have copies made of such records of the offices of the
clerks of the courts of said county as said council may di-
rect; which copies, when duly attested by the agents ap-
pointed as aforesaid, and filed in the office of the clerk of the
corporation court of said city, shall be received as evidence,
and have the same force and effect as the originals would
have. The agents who may be appointed as aforesaid, shall,
before entering upon the discharge of their duties, take and
subscribe before some person legally authorized to adminis-
ter oaths, an oath to faithfully discharge the duties for which
they are appointed, which oath shall be filed in the office of
the clerk of said corporation court. |

7. This act shall be in force from its passage.