CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



149 



the crimes therein specified: Provided, That every 

 registration made under the laws of any State or Ter- 

 ritory, or for any State or other election at which 

 such Representative or Delegate in Congress shall 

 be chosen, shall be deemed to be a registration within 

 the meaning of this act, notwithstanding the same 

 shall also be made for the purposes of any State, Ter- 

 ritorial, or municipal elections." 



SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That whenever 

 in any city or town having upward of twenty thou- 

 sand inhabitants there shall be two citizens thereof 

 who, prior to any registration of voters for an elec- 

 tion for a Representative or Delegate in the Con- 

 gress of the United States, or prior to any election 

 at which a Eepresentative or Delegate in Congress is 

 to be voted for, shall make known, in writing, to the 

 judge of the circuit court of the United States for the 

 circuit wherein such city or town shall be, their de- 

 sire to have said registration, or said election, or 

 both, guarded and scrutinized, it shall be the duty 

 of the said judge of the circuit court, within not less 

 than ten days prior to said registration, if one there 

 be, or if no registration be required, within not less 

 than ten days prior to said election, to open the said 

 circuit court at the most convenient point in said 

 circuit. And the said court, when so opened by said 

 judge, shall proceed to appoint and commission, 

 from day to day and from time to tune, and under 



the manner herein prescribed, have applied therefor, 

 and to revoke, change, or renew said appointment, 

 from time to time, two citizens, residents of said city 

 or town, who shall be of different political parties 

 and able to read and write the English language, and 

 who shall be known and designated as supervisors 

 of election. And the said circuit court, when opened 

 by the said circuit judge, as required herein, shall 

 therefrom and thereafter, and up to and including 

 the day following the day of election, be always open 

 for the transaction of business under this act : and 

 the powers and jurisdiction hereby granted and. con- 

 ferred shall be exercised as well in vacation as in 

 term time ; and a judge sitting at chambers shall 

 have the same powers and jurisdiction, including the 

 power of keeping order and of punishing any con- 

 tempt of his authority, as when sitting in court. 



SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That whenever, 

 from sickness, injury, or otherwise, the judge of the 

 circuit court of the United States in any judicial cir- 

 cuit shall be unable to perform and discharge the du- 

 ties by this act imposed, it shall be his duty, and he 

 is hereby required, to select and to direct and assign 

 to the performance- thereof, in his place and stead, 

 such one of the judges of the district courts of the 

 United States within his circuit as he shall deem 

 best ; and upon such election and assignment being 

 made, it shall be lawful for, and shall be the duty of, 

 the district judge so designated to perform and dis- 

 charge, in the place and stead of the said circuit judge, 

 all the duties, powers, and obligations imposed and 

 conferred upon the said circuit judge by the provi- 

 sions of this act. 



SEC. 4. And be it furtJtcr enacted, That it shall be 

 the duty of the supervisors of election appointed 

 under this act, and they and each of them are hereby 

 authorized and required, to attend at all times and 

 places fixed for the registration of voters, who, being 

 registered, would be entitled to vote for a Represent- 

 ative or Delegate in Congress, and to challenge any 

 person offering to register ; to attend at all times and 

 places when the names of registered voters may be 

 marked for challenge, and to cause such names re- 

 gistered as they shall deem proper to be so marked ; 

 to make, when required, the lists, or either of them, 

 provided for in section thirteen of this act, and verify 

 the same ; and upon any occasion, and at any time 

 when in attendance under the provisions of this act, 

 to personally inspect and scrutinize such registry, 



and for purposes of identification to affix their or his 

 signature to each and every page of the original list, 

 and of each and every copy of any such list of regis- 

 tered voters, at such times, upon each day when any 

 name may or shall be received, entered, or registered, 

 and in such manner as will in their or his judgment 

 detect and expose the improper or wrongful removal 

 therefrom or addition thereto hi any way of any name 

 or names. 



SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That it shall also 

 be the duty of said supervisors of election, and they 

 and each of them are hereby authorized and required, 

 to attend at all times and places for holding elections 

 of Representatives or Delegates in Congress, and for 

 counting the votes cast at said elections ; to challenge 

 any vote offered by; any person whose legal qualifi- 

 cations the supervisors, or either of them, shall 

 doubt ; to be and remain where the ballot-boxes are 

 kept at all times after the polls are open until each 

 and every vote cast at said time and place shall be 

 counted, the canvass of all votes polled be wholly 

 completed, and the proper and requisite certificates 

 or returns made, whether said certificates or returns 

 be required under any law of the United States, or 

 any State, Territorial, or municipal law ; and to per- 

 sonally inspect and scrutinize, from time to time, 

 and at all times, on the day of election, the manner 

 in which the voting is done, and the way and method 

 in which the poll-books, registry lists, and tallies or 

 check-books, whether the same are required by any 

 law of the United States; or any State, Territorial, or 

 municipal law, are kept : and to the end that each 

 candidate for the office of Representative or Delegate 

 in Congress shall obtain the benefit of every vote for 

 him cast, the said supervisors of election are, and 

 each of them is, hereby required, in their or his 

 respective election districts or voting precincts, to 

 personally scrutinize, count, and canvass each and 

 every ballot in their or his election district or voting 

 precinct cast, whatever may be the indorsement on 

 said ballot, or in whatever box it may have been 

 placed or be found ;, to make and forward to the offi- 

 cer who, in accordance with the provisions of section 

 thirteen of this act. shall have been designated as the 

 chief supervisor of the judicial district in which the 

 city or town wherein they or he shall serve shall be, 

 such certificates and returns of all such ballots as 

 said officer may direct and require ; and to attach to 

 the registry list, and any and all copies thereof, and 

 to any certificate, statement, or return, whether the 

 same, or any part or portion thereof, be required by 

 anv law of the United States, or of any State, Terri- 

 torial, or municipal law, any statement touching the 

 truth or accuracy of the registry, or the truth or fair- 

 ness of the election and canvass, which the said su- 

 pervisors of election, or either of them, may desire 

 to make or attach, or which should properly and 

 honestly be made or attached, in order that the facts 

 may become known, any law of any State or Terri- 

 tory to the contrary notwithstanding. 



SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That, the better 

 to enable the said supervisors of election to discharge 

 their duties, they are, and each of them is hereby, 

 authorized and directed, in their or his respective 

 election districts or voting precincts, on the day or 

 days of registration, on the day or days when regis- 

 tered voters may be marked to be challenged, and 

 on the day or days of election, to take, occupy, and 

 remain in such position or positions, from time to 

 time, whether before or behind the ballot-boxes, as 

 will, in their judgment, best enable them or him to 

 see each person offering himself for registration or 

 offering to vote, and as will best conduce tojthei^ or 

 his scrutinizing the manner in which the registration 

 or voting is being conducted ; and at the closing of 

 the polls for the reception of votes they are, and each 

 of them is hereby, required to place themselves or 

 himself in such position in relation to the ballot- 

 boxes for the purpose of engaging in the work of 

 canvassing the ballots in said boxes contained as will 



