SEC. 11. It shall be the duty of the collector of taxes in each town to be and remain in the town clerk's office, and in the town of Newport and city of Providence, to be and remain at his own or at the town clerk's office, from and after the day of his receiving the copy of the registry in the last section mentioned, for at least six hours in each day, to wit: from twelve o'clock to six o'clock, during the last six days of December, Sunday excepted, in each year; or in case of absence to appoint some one as his agent, there to remain as aforesaid, during the period aforesaid, to receive the registry tax: provided, however, that the certificate of such payment shall, in case of payment to the agent, be under the hand of the collector, in order to avail as proof before the board of canvassers. If the collector shall die, resign, be unable, or neglect or refuse to do his duty herein before required, the town clerk of each town shall receive and certify the payment of the registry tax with the same effect that the collector might do. Any wilful neglect or refusal of duty on the part of the collector or town clerk, under this section, shall be punished by a fine of not less than twenty-five, nor more than one thousand dollars.

SEC. 12. Every town or ward clerk, upon payment or tender of his legal fees, which shall be the same for the ward clerks as for the town clerks, shall furnish to any person demanding the same, a certified copy of any list of voters whose votes have been given in at any election. Every town clerk shall, upon like payment or tender, furnish to any person demanding the same, a certified copy of any registration of voters, and shall also, upon the request of any person and tender of legal fees, and without unreasonable delay, examine the records, and certify to the estate of any person, and shall furnish copies of any instrument or writing which may be on record, or in the files of his office. Every collector of taxes shall, upon like request and payment or tender, and without unreasonable delay, furnish to any elector a certified list of those who have paid to him, state, town and registry taxes, and the amounts and times of such payments; and shall grant certificates setting forth whether a certain person or persons have or have not paid to him such taxes, and if paid, to what amount, and at what time; and every town, ward clerk or collector of taxes, who shall refuse or unreasonably delay to furnish such lists or certificates upon payment or tender as aforesaid, shall for every such offence, forfeit not less than twenty-five dollars, nor more than two hundred dollars.

SEC. 13. On or before the last Monday of February, in

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every year, every collector of taxes, or other officer authorized to receive the same, shall furnish to the town clerks of their respective towns, duly certified alphabetical lists of all persons registered on or before the last day of December next preceding, in their respective towns, who shall have paid such officer on or before the last day of December next preceding, their taxes assessed for and within said year preceding, together with the amount of the payment by each, specifying whether the tax was a registry tax or a tax on property, valued at least, at one hundred and thirty-four dollars. On or before the last Monday in February, in every year, every town clerk shall furnish to the town councils of their respective towns, a duly certified alphabetical list of all persons registered therein on or before the last day of December next preceding, for the purpose of voting; and separately therefrom, correct alphabetical lists of the names of all persons entitled to vote under article second, section first, of the constitution; and every town clerk, and every collector of taxes, or other officer authorized to receive the same, who shall wilfully refuse or neglect to deliver such lists as aforesaid within the time above limited, or who shall wilfully deliver false or imperfect lists, shall forfeit not less than five hundred, nor more than one thousand dollars, or be imprisoned not less than six months, either or both, at the discretion of the court who shall try such offenders.

SEC. 14. The town councils of the several towns shall, on March or before the Monday of February in every year, make out correct alphabetical lists of all persons qualified to vote generally, to wit: of all persons entitled to vote under article second, section first, of the constitution; and of all persons entitled by registry and payment of registry, and other taxes, or by the performance of military duty, to vote in their respective towns; and separately from such lists, correct alphabetical lists of all persons entitled to vote upon any proposition to impose a tax or expend money in their respective towns, to wit of all persons entitled to vote under article second, section first, of the constitution; and of all persons who, on or before the last day of December next preceding, have paid assessed taxes to the amount of one dollar, and upon whose property in their several towns, valued at least at one hundred and thirty-four dollars, a tax or taxes have been assessed and paid, within the year next preceding, and on or before the last day of December therein; and shall cause such lists to be posted up in three or more public places in their respective towns, and one in the town clerk's office, which last

list shall be open to the examination of any elector of the town at all reasonable hours: provided, however, that separate lists of the voters in each ward of the city of Providence, shall be made out by the mayor and aldermen of said city, and the lists for each ward shall be posted up in some public place in the ward, and in the office of the city clerk; and any person who shall take down, destroy or deface such lists so posted up, shall forfeit the sum of one hundred dollars, or may be imprisoned three calendar months.

SEC. 15. On or before the third Monday of March, in every year, the town councils of the several towns shall be in session at some convenient place or places for a reasonable time, in their respective towns, for the purpose of correcting such lists; and the notice of the time or times, and place or places of holding said sessions shall be given by the town councils upon the lists posted up as aforesaid. The members of the town councils, and the town clerks of the several towns, shall be paid by their respective towns one dollar each for every day's attendance in the discharge of their duties under this act; and the town clerks shall in addition be paid legal fees for their recording and making out the several lists and returns in this act required.

SEC. 16. At least ten days previous to the first Wednesday in April, said town councils shall cause to be posted up as aforesaid, lists of persons entitled to vote in their respective towns so by them corrected as aforesaid; and shall, on the Monday preceding the first Wednesday of April, hold a session for the purpose of further correcting said lists, which session shall be holden for at least two hours. Said board of canvassers shall also, at least two days previous to any election of representatives to congress, or of electors of president and vice president of the United States, and to the election of any state, town or city officers, hold a session for the purpose of further correcting the town and ward lists of voters; in which case the lists need not be posted up as aforesaid, but notice of the time and place of such session shall be given, for at least ten days previous thereto, by posting up notices thereof in three or more public places in every town, and one in each ward in the city of Providence, and one in the town or city clerk's office; or instead of such notice, by publication in one or more newspapers published in such town. The lists of voters so corrected shall be by said town councils certified by their presiding officer, and on the same day delivered to the town clerks of their respective towns, to be delivered by said town clerks to the moderators of town meeting in their respective

towns; and the city clerk of the city of Providence shall, from the list of voters so corrected, make out separate lists of the voters of each ward in said city, and send such lists, by him certified, to the clerks of the respective wards before the time fixed for the opening of the ward meetings. Any wilful neglect to hold the sessions, to post up the lists, or to deliver the same, as herein before required, on the part of any town council or town clerk, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars, to be forfeited by every member of the town council, and by every town clerk so wilfully neglecting his duty as aforesaid.

SEC. 17. If any town council of any town shall at any session holden for the purpose of correcting the list of voters for the said town as is herein before provided, wilfully and fraudulently place the name of any person upon the list of voters for such town who is not entitled to vote, or shall wilfully and fraudulently reject and cause to be erased from said lists the name of any person entitled to vote, every member of the town council so offending, who shall concur in said offence, shall forfeit not less than one hundred dollars, nor more than five hundred dollars.

SEC. 18. If any town clerk shall at any time wilfully and fraudulently add a name to any list of voters, or erase any name therefrom after the same has been corrected and certified as aforesaid, he shall forfeit the sum of one hundred dollars for each and every name so added or erased as aforesaid.

SEC. 19. Any person who shall have received aid or assistance from any town for the support of himself, or whose wife, or child under lawful age, shall have received such aid, or assistance at any time within one year from the time of the election at which he proposes to vote, shall be deemed and considered a pauper; and the name of any and all such persons shall be stricken from the list of voters by the board of canvassers.

SEC. 20. It shall be the duty of the clerk of every town council to record the votes of the members of said town councils upon admitting or rejecting the name of any person from the list of voters, when he shall be requested thereto by any member of said council, or by any qualified elector of said town present at the time of canvassing; a certified copy of which record shall be conclusive evidence of the facts therein stated; and any wilful neglect upon the part of said clerk to make said record, when requested as aforesaid, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars.

SEC. 21. Said town councils may, at their sessions, holden

either for the purpose of revising the registry or canvassing the votes as aforesaid, examine under oath, any person present, and any other evidence offered, or that they deem necessary, respecting the right of any person to have his name upon the registry or to vote, and decide upon the same; and any person refusing to answer, or giving a false answer upon such examination, shall forfeit a sum not less than twentyfive dollars, nor more than three hundred dollars, for such refusal, or for each false answer so given.

SEC. 22. The town councils in case they shall have entered on said lists the names of all persons returned to them by said town clerks, shall not be held answerable for any omissions in said lists, nor for refusing to place in their list the name of any persons omitted in the lists to them delivered as aforesaid, unless at one of their said sessions they shall be furnished with sufficient evidence of such omission, and of the qualifications as a voter, of the person omitted, and shall have been requested to insert his name on their list.

SEC. 23. The moderator or warden of any town or ward meeting shall receive the votes of all persons whose names are upon the lists of voters, so to him delivered and certified as aforesaid, and he shall reject the votes of all persons claiming to vote whose names are not on said lists: provided, however, that nothing herein contained shall be construed to impair the right of either house of the general assembly to judge of the election of its members, or of the grand committee to count legal, and refuse to count illegal votes: and provided further, that if any voter whose name is upon any ward list in the city of Providence, shall have removed to another ward after the making out of the ward list, or if the name of any voter shall have been placed upon the wrong ward list, every such voter shall be admitted to vote in the ward in which he resides, upon producing the certificate of a ward clerk that his name is upon another ward list, duly prepared for the election in which he claims to vote. The certificates mentioned in this section shall, with the votes, be returned by the several ward clerks to the officer or body by law provided to receive the votes; and if any ward clerk shall refuse to give such certificate to one entitled to and demanding the same, or shall wilfully give a false one, he shall forfeit the sum of one hundred dollars for each and every offence.

SEC. 24. If any person in any election shall fraudulently vote, not being qualified, or having voted in one town or ward, shall vote in another town or ward without having withdrawn the vote first given, he shall be fined one hundred dol