Chap. 478.—An ACT to amend and reenact Section 158 of the Code of Virginia,
as amended, relating to the duties and functions of electoral boards of counties
and cities. [H 494]

Approved April 2, 1948

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That section one hundred fifty-eight of the Code of Virginia, as
amended, be amended and reenacted as follows:
Section 158. Duties of Electoral Boards, seal, etc—It shall be
the duty of the electoral board of each city and county to procure
and adopt a seal, if there be not one already adopted by the electoral
board of such city or county, which seal may be changed from time
to time in the discretion of said board, and shall not be less than two
inches in diameter. Said board shall meet as soon as convenient after
the printing of the ballots as provided for in this chapter, at which
meeting only members of the board shall be present, and the member
of the board who shall have secured from the printer the ballots
as required by section one hundred and fifty-six shall deliver said
ballots to said board, and shall certify to the board the number of
ballots so delivered which certificate shall be filed and also copied
into the minutes of the meeting of the board. The board shall satisfy
itself as to the number of said ballots, which number shall be entered
by the secretary of the board in a book provided by him and kept for
such purpose. The board shall thereupon designate one of its members,
who shall cause the seal of the board to be affixed in his presence to
every ballot printed as provided in this chapter, upon the side reverse
from that upon which the names of the candidates appear. Such mem-
ber of the board shall make affidavit that the seal of the electoral board
was affixed to said ballots in his presence in the manner prescribed
by law, in which affidavit shall be set forth the name of every person
taking part in the affixing of said seal; and said affidavit shall be
filed with the board and a copy thereof entered upon the minutes of
the board. For his services in causing the seal to be affixed to said
ballots, the said member of the board shall receive six dollars. Of
the said ballots, the board shall cause to be made, in the presence of
at least one member of the board, as many packages as there are voting
precincts in said county or city, one for each precinct, which package
shall contain a number of ballots twice the number of the voters
registered at the precinct for which it is intended. Each of these
packages shall be securely sealed in the presence of a member of the
board so that the ballots shall be invisible, and so that they could not
be readily opened without detection. Upon each of said packages shall
be endorsed the name of the precinct for which it is intended and
the number of ballots therein contained. The packages designed for the
various precincts shall be delivered to the secretary of the board and
remain in his exclusive possession until delivered by him to the judges,
or one of the judges, of election of the several precincts as provided by the
following section, or until he shall have delivered the same to one of
the other members of the board to be delivered to the judge or judges
as required by this chapter. Every person taking part in affixing the
seal to the ballots or in placing said ballots in packages shall make
affidavit that he will faithfully perform his duties and that he will
not pier to anyone the contents of such ballots or any part thereof,
which affidavits shall be filed with the secretary of the board and
retained as a part of the records of the board. The secretary of the
electoral board shall keep in his sole custody the seal or stamp of the
board in a sealed package, to be opened by him only when necessary
for use in stamping ballots. If any member of the board, other than
the secretary be designated to attend to the stamping of the ballots,
the seal, as soon as the stamping of the ballots is completed, shall be
forthwith returned to the secretary to be kept by him as herein
provided.

2. An emergency exists and this act shall be in force from its

passage.