TEXAS. 



677 



his name upon their rolls, indorsing the fact upon 

 the certificate of the applicant. 



4. All registrars, before entering upon the duties 

 of their office, if they have not already done so, will 

 take and subscribe the oath of office or July 2, 1862 : 

 and no payments will be made for services rendered 

 until this oath is filed in the office of the Secretary 

 for Civil Affairs for this military district. 



5. To prevent the registration of any person not 

 entitled to vote under the reconstruction laws, the 

 Boards may select two white and two colored persons 

 to challenge the right of any person to be registered 

 at the revision, who, in the opinion of the persons 

 challenging, is disqualified as a voter by reason of 

 any of the causes set forth in said acts of Congress, 

 and the Board shall examine' and determine upon the 

 right of such challenged person to register. 



6. An applicant for registration who is rejected by 

 the Board, may appeal to the district commander. 

 The Boards will not enter the name of such applicant, 

 but a list of the names of those who appeal will be 

 made out. with the reasons for rejection stated in full, 

 and will be forwarded by mail, or in the most expe- 

 ditious manner practicable, to district headquarters. 

 A duplicate of this list will be retained with the 

 registration records, to be disposed of as directed in 

 paragraph sixteen or this order. 



7. Boards of Registration are invested, while in 

 performance of the duties of their office, with the 

 power to summon witnesses and to compel their 

 attendance to give evidence in cases of challenge, 

 and to suppress disorder and preserve the peace. 

 They are authorized to call upon the civil or military 

 authorities for such aid as may be necessary. 



8. The registrars for each county shall be managers 

 of election for their respective counties, and shall 

 appoint to assist them in holding the election two 

 clerks, who shall take the oath prescribed by act of 

 Congress of July 2, 1862. 



9. The vote shall be by ballot. The ballot of each 

 colored person will be marked " colored," by one of 

 the managers of election, before being deposited in 

 the ballot-box ; but no other marks will be permitted 

 to be placed upon it by the Board of Registrars. Each 

 person, on presenting his ballot, will anounce his 

 name, and, if upon examination his name should be 

 found on the list of registered voters for that county, 

 his ballot will be received and his name will be 

 entered upon the poll-list with a remark, showing 

 whether he is white or colored. Blanks for poll-lists 

 will, be furnished, upon which the names oi all per- 

 sons voting will be entered. 



10. When a person offers to vote whose name ap- 

 pears on the registry, and who is without a certificate 

 of registration, or when the party tendering the ballot 

 presents a certificate of registration unsupported by 

 the registry, or when the certificate shows upon its 

 face that it was issued in another county, he shall be 

 subject to challenge on the ground of identity, or resi- 

 dence, or both. To prevent the confusion, excitement, 

 and delay, which might arise from a multiplicity 

 of challengers, the Board may select two registered 

 voters to act as challengers at the polling-place. 

 Challenges shall be received by the managers of elec- 

 tion only through the appointed challengers, or a 

 member of the Board. If the person challenged is 

 known to either of the managers of election or one 

 of the clerks, his vote shall be admitted at once. 

 If he is not known, he must produce satisfactory 

 evidence. 



11. No person who is a candidate for office at said 

 election shall be a registrar, manager of election, or 

 clerk. 



12. All places where intoxicating liquors are sold, 

 at and in the vicinity of the county seats, will be 

 closed from sunset on the evening of the 29th of No- 

 vembet, and will remain closed until sunrise on the 

 morning of the 4th of December ; and the sale of in- 

 toxicating liquors at or near the polling-places is 

 prohibited. 



13. The sheriff of each county, with two deputies, 

 will be required to be present at the revision of the 

 registration-lists and during the period of holding the 

 election, and they are required to obey in good faith 

 all instructions from registrars relative to preserving 

 order, and to see that paragraph twelve of this order 

 is strictly enforced. 



14. Boards of Registration will see that a full and 

 fair opportunity is given for every man entitled to 

 vote to have his name registered; and managers of 

 election will in like manner do every thing that is re- 

 quired to secure a full and impartial expression of the 

 wishes and opinions of the registered voters. 



15. In case of disturbance at the polls, such as to 

 obstruct the free and full exercise of the privilege of 

 voting to any registered voters whatever, the Board 

 will at once close the polls and make full report in 

 the premises to the nearest post commander, .who 

 will take immediate action to arrest the offenders, 

 and hold them in military custody until further orders. 

 This election will not be resumed until so ordered 

 from district headquarters. 



16. Immediately upon the closing of the polls, the 

 managers and clerks of election shall count the 

 number of votes polled, and compare them with the 

 separate poll-lists, and correct if possible any error 

 that may exist. (The ballot-boxes will not, under 

 any circumstances, be opened during the holding of 

 the election.) The managers will then enter upon 

 blanks, to be furnished, the summary of votes "for" 

 and "against" the constitution, and the number of 

 votes polled for each candidate for election to office, 

 together with the designation of the office. This list 

 will be made out in triplicate, and will be certified to, 

 before an officer authorized to administer oaths, by all 

 the managers and clerks of election : one copy to be 

 forwarded by mail to the secretary for civil affairs at 

 this headquarters : one copy to be retained by the 

 president of the Board. The ballots shall then be 

 placed in packages and securely sealed, and, together 

 with the third copy of the lists of the result of the 

 election, and all other papers and records, will be 

 taken by the president of the Board to the post com- 

 mander in wnose post his county is situated, and 

 turned over to him for safe-keeping. 



17. The compensation for registrars, managers of 

 election, and sheriffs, will be at the rate of six dollars 

 per day for each day actually employed ; they will 

 also be allowed ten cents per mile in going from their 

 homes to their stations, and in returning therefrom. 

 The clerks and deputy-sheriffs will be allowed five 

 dollars per day. 



18._ The sessions of the Boards of Registration and 

 election shall be from 8 o'clock A. M. to 5 o'clock p. M. 

 daily, excepting one hour, from 12 o'clock M. to 1 

 o'clock P. M. 



19. The revision and election shall be held in the 

 court-house of each county, if practicable. 



20. If from any cause any of the registrars of a 

 county fail to act, their places will be supplied, if it 

 occurs before the time for holding the revision or 

 election, by the post commander; if during this 

 period, the vacancy will be supplied by the remain- 

 ing registrars. Tne person selected must be able to 

 qualify according to this order. 



21. All communications regarding questions aris- 

 ing from registration should be addressed to the 

 " Secretary for Civil Affairs " at this headquarters. 



By command of Bv't Maj.-General REYNOLDS. 

 H. CLAY WOOD, Assistant- Adjutant-General. 



The persons whom the commander subse- 

 quently selected to compose the Board of 

 Registrars were pointed to as calculated to se- 

 cure the election of the "Radical" ticket, they 

 being well known as most declared partisans 

 of Davis, whereas the practice had always heen 

 to have the contending parties equally repre- 

 sented by the members of the Board. 



