Cards of INFORMATION TO VOTERS. 164. The secretary of the Commonwealth in state instruction. elections, and the board of election commissioners in 1893, c. 417, city elections, shall prepare and furnish for use in every § 137. such election, full instructions for the guidance of voters at such elections, as to obtaining ballots, as to the manner of marking them and the method of gaining assistance, and as to obtaining new ballots in place of those accidentally spoiled; and they shall cause the same, together with such abstracts as they shall deem proper to make of the provisions of law imposing penalties upon voters, to be printed in large, clear, type, on separate Specimen cards, to be called cards of instruction. They shall in like manner prepare and furnish for each polling place ten or more copies of the ballots provided for distribution at the election therein. Such copies shall be called specimen ballots, and shall be printed without the fac-simile indorsements and on tinted paper. ballots. Constitutional amend ment. Lists of etc., state election to be transmitted to board of election commis. The secretary of the Commonwealth likewise shall cause to be prepared and shall furnish copies of every proposed amendment to the constitution submitted to the vote of the people, printed in full, with a heading in large type containing the words, "Proposed Amendment to the Constitution." 165. The secretary of the Commonwealth shall, five candidates, days at least previous to the day of any state election, transmit to the board of election commissioners printed lists containing the names, residences and party or political designations of all candidates duly nominated and to be voted for at each polling place in the city of Boston substantially in the form of the general ballot to be so used therein; and shall likewise transmit the printed copies of any proposed amendment to the constitution which may be submitted to vote at such election. Said board shall immediately cause the lists for each voting precinct and any such copies of a proposed amendment to the constitution, to be conspicuously posted in one or more public places in every such voting precinct. sioners. Ibid. § 138. The secretary of the Commonwealth shall likewise cause Publicato be published, prior to the day of any such election, in tion. at least two newspapers, if there be so many, published in each county, representing, so far as practicable, the two leading political parties, a list of all the candidates duly nominated and to be voted for in such county, together with any proposed amendment to the constitution submitted to vote as aforesaid, in the form, so far as may be, in which they are to appear upon the general ballots. city election, post § 139. 166. Said board shall, four days at least previous to List of candidates, the day of any city election, cause to be conspicuously posted in one or more public places in every voting precinct of said city, a printed list containing the names, ing, pubresidences, and party or political designations of all candi- lication. dates nominated and to be voted for in such precinct, 1893, c. 417, substantially in the form of the general ballot to be used therein; and they shall likewise cause to be published, prior to the day of such election, in at least two newspapers, published in said city, representing the two leading political parties, a list of all the candidates duly nominated and to be voted for in said city, in the form, as far as may be, in which they are to appear upon the general ballots. Ballots, election, delivery. 1893, c. 417, § 141. Packing. DELIVERY OF BALLOTS, ETC. 167. The secretary of the Commonwealth shall send etc., state the two sets of ballots with specimen ballots, cards of instruction and copies of any proposed amendment to the constitution, required by law to be provided by him, separately, and at different times or by different methods, to the board of election commissioners, so that both sets shall be received by them twelve hours, at least, previous to the day of election. In the case of each set, the ballots for voters shall first be enclosed in one package and sealed and marked with the number of ballots of each kind enclosed, and the accompanying specimen ballots, cards of instruction and copies of constitutional amendments, if any, shall be enclosed in another package; and the whole set shall be further enclosed in a single package with marks on the outside indicating its contents and clearly desigReceipts. nating the polling place for which it is intended. Said board shall, on delivery to them of such packages, return receipts therefor to the secretary. The secretary shall keep a record of the time when, and manner in which, the several packages are sent, and shall preserve for the period of one year the receipts of said board. Ballots, 168. Said board shall cause the two sets of ballots and cards of instruction and specimen ballots provided by them for a city election to be separately packed. In the case of each set, the ballots for voters shall first be enclosed in one package and sealed and marked with the number of ballots of each kind enclosed, and the accompanying specimen ballots and cards of instruction shall be enclosed in another package; and the whole set shall be further enclosed in a single package with marks on the outside indicating its contents and clearly designating the polling place for which it is intended. 169. Said board shall, on the day of every state and city election, before the opening of the polls, send to the election officers of each polling place therein, one set of ballots with accompanying specimen ballots, cards of instruction and copies of proposed amendments to the con record. stitution, if any, which have been furnished and marked for such polling place; and a receipt for the delivery Receipt, thereof shall be returned to said board from the presiding or senior election officer present at the polling place, which receipt, with a record of the number of ballots sent, shall be kept in the office of said board for the period of one year. The second set of ballots shall Second set. be retained by said board until they are called for, for the purposes of voting; and, upon the requisition in writing of the presiding election officer of any polling place, the second set of ballots shall be furnished to such polling place in the manner above provided as to the first set. pro prepara 170. In case the ballots to be furnished to any Ballots, polling place in said city in accordance with the substitute, visions of said chapter four hundred and seventeen, shall tion. for any reason fail to be duly delivered, or in case after 1893, c. 417, delivery they shall be destroyed or stolen, it shall be § 145. the duty of said board to cause other ballots to be prepared substantially in the form of the ballots so to be furnished and wanting; and upon receipt of such Delivery other ballots from said board, accompanied by a statement by them under oath that the same have been so prepared and furnished by them, and that the original ballots have so failed to be received or have been so destroyed or stolen, the election officers of such polling place shall cause the ballots so substituted to be used instead of the ballots wanting as above. and use. Annual state election, date, officers to TITLE V. CALLING OF ELECTIONS. 171. The annual state election for the choice of governor, lieutenant governor, councillors, secretary, treasurer and receiver-general, auditor, attorney-general, be chosen. and senators and representatives in the general court shall 1893, c. 417, be held on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in § 146. November, as prescribed in the constitution. There shall likewise be chosen at the annual state election, in the years in which such officers are by law respectively to be chosen, electors of president and vice president of the United States, and, in their respective districts or counties, representatives in Congress, district attorneys, clerks of the courts, registers of probate and insolvency, registers of deeds, commissioners of insolvency, county commissioners, special commissioners, sheriffs and county Calls for cities. Ibid. § 147. 1895, c. 449, § 4. treasurers. 172. Meetings of the qualified voters of each city for elections in the election of state officers and of city officers shall, subject to the provisions of said chapter four hundred and seventeen, be called by order of the board of aldermen; and the city clerk of every city, except the city of Boston, shall, under the direction of such board, cause notice of every such meeting to be printed in one or more newspapers published in such city, and also to be conspicuously posted in the office of the city clerk; and the city clerk of the city of Boston shall, under the direction of the board of aldermen, cause notice of every such meeting to be printed in at least four daily newspapers published in said city. Notices of meetings, given as aforesaid, shall be in lieu of the notices or warrants for election which may be required in any city by special statutes relating thereto, and warrants or other notices of such meetings shall not be required. MeetWhen to be ings for the annual state and city elections shall, however, in all cases be called, as above provided, at least called. |