Chap. 184.—An ACT to provide for holding elections in towns for the purpose of
deciding upon the question of bond issue.

Approved April 27, 1903.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That whenever
any town in this Commonwealth shall desire, prior to the first day of
March, nineteen hundred and four, to issue any bonds of said town under
the powers granted by its charter, it shall present, in term time or in
vacation, to the judge of the county court of the county in which the town
or the greater part thereof is situated, a duly authenticated copy of the
resolution of the council of said town, or of its board’ of trustees, set-
ting forth such desire, the amount of such issue, the length of time for
which they are to run, the interest to be paid thereon, and the purposes for
which the money realized therefrom is to be used, and also requesting
such judge to order an election for the purpose of submitting to the
registered voters of said town the question of whether or not such issue
shall be made. If any.such town shall so desire, after the first day of
March, nineteen hundred and four, it shall present, in term time or in
vacation, a copy of such resolution to the judge of the circuit court of
the county in which such town, or the greater part thereof, is situated.

2. Upon receipt of any such resolution, it shall be the duty of the judge
receiving the same to order an election to be had in said town for the pur-
pose of submitting to the registered voters thereof the question of whether
or not such issue of bonds shall be had. He shall order such election
to be had on a day not earlier than thirty days from the entry of said
order. He shall require that the chief executive officer of said town, or
some person designated by him, shall post, at four places to be desig-
nated by said judge, a notice of the day of such election, the object of
the same, and the voting place or places at which votes will be received.

3. He shall, before the day of such election, designate the officers
who shall conduct the same, naming the three judges of election and
two clerks. The duties and liabilities of said officers shall be as pre-
scribed in chapter forty-four of the Code of Virginia, except as modi-
fied by the requirements of this act. ‘The said officers shall be regis-
tered voters of said town.

4. Unless there shall already exist a list of the registered voters of
said town for use at the general elections held therein, the clerk of th:
county court of the county in which said town or the greater part thercot
lies, shall, ten days before the date fixed for said election, prepare and turn
over to one of the judges appointed for such election a list of all persons
who may then be registered voters in said town under the provisions of the
present Constitution of this State, and who shall, at the time, reside within
the corporate limits of said town.

5. Upon the receipt by said judge of election of such list he shall have
prepared and: posted in three prominent places in said town, to be deter-
mined by the chief executive officer of said town, three copies of such
list. Any person whose name shall be wrongfully omitted from such list
shall have the right to appeal before said judge to have his name placed
thereon. Such application shall be made under such terms and in such
260 ACTS OF ASSEMBLY.

manner as the judge shall determine. No person shall vote at said elec-
tion unless his name shall appear on said list, and shall otherwise be
entitled to vote in said town.

6. The town council, or board of trustees of said town, shall, prior to
said date of election, have printed, at the expense of said town, proper
ballots to be voted at said election, upon which shall be stated the date
of election and the amount of bond issue, and shall also have printed
thereon, in separate lines, the words “for bond issue” and the words
“against bond issue.” All persons voting at said election shall erase one
or the other set of said words, and the words remaining shall be counted
as expressing the choice and vote of the person casting the ballot. Such
ballots shall be delivered to one of the judges of election the day pre-
ceding the day of election for use at said election. No other ballots shall
be used at said election. The polls for such election shall be opened at
sunrise and shall close at sunset. After the close of the polls, the judges
shall count and canvass said ballots, and make a proper return and certi-
ficate of the number of votes cast, and of the number cast, respectively,
for and against such issue. The said ballots and said certificate shall be
forwarded by said judges to the clerk of the court recording such elec-
tion, who shall, on the day succeeding said election, open the same and
declare the result of said election, and make report to the judge of the
said court of the result of such election. He shall also retain in his
office the said ballots and said certificate.

Y. If a majority of the ballots cast upon the question so submitted shall
be in favor of such bond issue, the town may issue the same.

8. The judge may, if he shall deem it expedient, order such election
to be had upon the day on which some general election may be held, and
authorize the officers holding said general election to hold the election
herein provided for, requiring that proper ballots and ballot-boxes and
certificates of return shall be provided for the same by said town.

9. Nothing contained in this act shall be construed as modifying any
pron in any charter relative to the manner and purpose of issuing

nds.