Registration ordered.

tration.

books or registers.

An Act further to preserve the purity of elections, and guard against the abuses of the elective franchise, by a registration of electors.

[Approved February 14, 1859. Laws of 1859, p. 483.]

(159.) SECTION 1. The People of the State of Michigan enact, That there shall be in the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, a registration of the qualified electors of the State. Board of regis. The aldermen of every incorporated city, and the supervisor, treasurer, and clerk of every township, shall constitute a board of registration for such city or township, and their duties shall be as Board to provide follows: They shall respectively provide suitable bound books or registers, one for each township and one for each ward, so made and arranged as to contain an alphabetical list of the respective names, Christian or baptismal, and surnames, in full, of all persons declared by the Constitution of the State to be electors and entitled to vote, residing in their townships or wards, and the date of the registration; and, if the elector resides in a city or incorpowhat to contain. rated village, also his residence by the number of the dwelling and the name of the street, if any, and if none, a description of the locality of the same.

Registers, how

arranged and

City boards to publish notice of

of registration.

of meeting des

ignated.

posted.

(160.) SEC. 2. Each city board shall, at least two weeks previous meeting of board to the time of their meeting in each ward, cause to be published in one or more newspapers printed and published in such city, a Time and place notice that the board of registration will meet on the first Monday of October, in the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, at nine o'clock in the forenoon, to make a perfect list, as near as may be, of all persons residing in such ward, qualified as electors under the Constitution; and designating the place in each ward Handbills to be where said board will meet for that purpose. And they shall also cause handbills to be posted in at least twenty conspicuous places in each ward, containing a similar notice of the time and place of What notice to such meeting of the board for that ward; which notice shall also contain a true copy of section one of article seven of the ConstituBoard may clas- tion, relative to the qualifications of electors. And the board may so divide and classify themselves that two or more of them may be assigned to different wards, the more speedily to complete the Duty of board registration; and in case of the sickness or absence of any alderman, or his inability or refusal to serve at the session in any ward, the board shall, in writing, under the hand of their chairman, immediately appoint the assessor of the ward, or any justice of the peace, to act in his stead, who shall be, for the purpose of reg

contain.

sify to facilitate

registration.

as to vacancies.

sion.

paid.

istration in that ward, deemed a member of the board of registration. They shall continue in session not less than three nor more Length of sesthan five days in each ward. All necessary blanks and instruc- Expenses, how tions to aid the board in the discharge of their duties, and all other expenses in performing the same, including the employment of printers for printing such notices, and the registry lists, shall be provided by the board and be paid for by the city.

of registration.

public.

how made.

(161.) SEC. 3. At the time and place mentioned in such notice, Duty of boards the board, or those members thereof so classified and assigned for that ward, shall meet and proceed to the registration in such book, which book shall be called the "Register of Electors" for such ward, of the names of persons at the time residing in such ward, and so qualified as follows, to wit: Their sessions shall be public, and Session to be during the first two days thereof they shall not write in the register the name of any person without a request made by him personally and in their presence; but shall allow him, if able and willing so to do, to write his own name therein in the proper place. In Registration; case of such request, the name of the elector shall be plainly written by a member of the board, who shall also note his residence as required by section one of this act. After the first two days of the session it shall be the duty of such board to proceed to complete the list, by writing in such register the names of all the remaining residents of the ward, known by them to be such and to be qualified as aforesaid, with the proper descriptions above mentioned; but they shall, during their whole session, permit any such qualified person residing in the ward, whose name has not already been entered in the register, to write it there himself. Opposite to every name on such register, shall be noted by the board the day and year of its entry, and during such session and all future sessions of the board in any city or township, they may, for their better information in making the registration, have before them the poll list of the next preceding general election, charter election, or township meeting, to be returned to the proper keeper at the close of the session, and all such entries shall be made with ink. The Board may board at every session shall have power, and it shall be their duty, quire applicant to question every person presenting himself for registration, touching his residence and other qualifications as an elector of the ward, and it shall be the duty of the applicant to make truthful answers to all such questions, and the board may, for the more perfect examination of the applicant, swear and employ an interpreter, truly and impartially to interpret all such questions and answers, and if the applicant shall, in his answers, make any mate

question and re

to make oath.

king false state

ment.

Penalty for ma- rial statement which is false, he shall, upon conviction thereof, pay a fine of not more than one hundred nor less than five dollars, and be imprisoned in the county jail not more than thirty nor less than five days.

What persons not entitled to registration.

Penalty for

fraudulent registration.

Time for registration in cities.

Proviso.

(162.) SEC. 4. The name of no person but an actual resident of the ward at the time of the registration, and entitled under the Constitution, if remaining such resident, to vote at the then next general or charter election, shall be entered in the register. Neither the board, nor any member thereof, shall write or enter in the register the name of any person, nor suffer him to write or enter his name therein, whom they know, or have good reason to believe, not to be such resident and so qualified; nor shall any person knowing or having good reason to believe himself not to be such resident and so qualified, write his name therein or cause it to be done; and every person so offending shall, upon conviction, be punished for each offense by a fine of not more than five hundred nor less than twenty-five dollars, and be imprisoned in the county jail not more than ninety nor less than ten days.

REGISTRATION IN CITIES AFTER 1859.

(163.) SEC. 5. On the Saturday next preceding the general election, and on the day (Sunday excepted) next preceding the day of the regular charter election, or any special election, and on such other days as shall be appointed by the common council of the city, not exceeding three days in all previous to any said election, the board of registration of the city, to be constituted as aforesaid, shall be in session at such places in the several wards as they shall designate in their notices, to be published and posted up as hereinafter provided, from eight o'clock in the forenoon until eight o'clock in the afternoon, for the purpose of completing the lists of the qualified voters; during which session it shall be the right of each and every person then actually residing in the ward, and who, at the then next approaching election, may be a qualified elector, and whose name is not already registered, to have his name entered in the register, which shall be done in the manner above described; and such boards, and each member thereof, and each applicant for registration, is hereby vested and charged with the same rights, powers, duties, and penal liabilities, touching the examination of applicants, as herein before provided: Provided, That the provisions of this amendment shall not apply to electors in the city of Detroit.'

1 As amended by 194 of the Laws of 1868, p. 844, approved and took effect March 20, 1863.

1

shall contain.

ors of election.

(164.) SEC. 6. At least two weeks previous to the commencement Notice to be given. of any such session, the board, at the expense of the city, shall cause a notice thereof to be printed and published in one or more newspapers in such city, designating the place of holding the same, and shall cause the same notice to be printed in handbill form, and posted up in at least ten conspicuous places in each ward; which handbill shall also contain a true copy of the list of what notice names then appearing in the register for the ward. And immediately after the close of the polls of such election, the clerk of the Duty of inspectboard of inspectors of that election, and before the counting of the votes, shall, under the direction and by the assistance of the inspectors, insert and write upon or attach to such printed handbill all the names of electors appearing on the register and not on such handbill, so that such handbill so corrected shall be a true copy of the list then appearing in such register, and shall, with the inspectors, or a majority of them, certify and sign such copy and file the same in the office of the county clerk, who shall carefully keep and preserve the same, and the same shall be evidence, prima facie, of the original; and in case of the loss or destruction of the original, the same or a certified copy thereof shall be used in its stead. (165.) SEC. 7. At the close of their sessions, the board, or the List of registramembers who made the registration in the particular ward, shall with the city sign the list, adding the date of their signature, and shall immediately deposit the same for safe keeping with the city clerk, who shall carefully preserve the same in his office until delivered as hereinafter provided.

tion to be filed

clerk.

to inspectors of

(166.) SEC. 8. At any such general, special, or charter election List to be given in the city, and as soon at least as the poll in each ward is opened, election. the city clerk shall cause the proper register to be placed in the hands of the inspectors of election, to be used by them during the same, and returned to the city clerk immediately thereafter; and they shall not receive the vote of any person whose name is not written therein. But if any person shall offer and claim to vote at Names may be such election, whose name is not so registered, his name may be registered by the clerk of the election, under the direction of the inspectors, upon the same terms and conditions hereinafter prescribed for the like cases arising at elections in townships, substituting ward for township; and both the applicant and the qualified elector shall be subject to the same penalties prescribed in cases so arising.

registered on

the day of clec

tion.

Registration in

townships; who

REGISTRATION IN TOWNSHIPS.

(167.) SEC. 9. It shall be the duty of the board of registration in to constitute the each township, to wit: The supervisor, treasurer, and clerk thereof,

board.

and in case of the absence of any of them, or his inability to serve, the justice of the peace not holding the office of supervisor or town clerk, whose term of office will first expire, to provide at the expense of the township the like book for their township for the purposes of the like registration of the qualified electors thereof, to be arranged in the same manner, save that in cases where the elector does not reside within the limits of an incorporated village, a description of his residence may be omitted; but in case he Books of regis resides within such limits and in the township, a description of his residence by the street and the number of the dwelling, or other brief but intelligible method; and the names of such resident electors of the village shall be written in said register in a list separate and distinct from those of other electors of the township, so as to exhibit a correct registration for the village; which list shall be called the village election register.

tration; how

arranged.

Proceedings at township elections in 1859.

Board to have access to township poll list.

Supervisor to register names while making assessment.

REGISTRATION IN TOWNSHIPS IN 1859.

(168.) SEC. 10. At the annual meeting of each township, on the first Monday of April, in the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, the township treasurer shall, at a place as near as practicable to that of the meeting, and of convenient access to the electors, have said book or register in readiness for the entry of their names, and each qualified elector residing in the township may then write his name at length in the proper place in said register, if able and willing to do so, or the treasurer shall, upon request made in his presence by the elector personally, write the name of such elector in its proper place. And in all cases under this act the board or the members thereof, receiving or making the entry of a name, shall note or cause to be noted the day and year thereof. During such township meeting and during all future sessions of the board, the township poll list of the next preceding general election or township meeting, shall be before him or them for their better information in making the registration, to be returned to the clerk at the close of the meeting or the session. The supervisor or other person or persons charged by law with the assessment of property in the township for the purpose of State taxation, shall, while making such assessment, and in connection with the performance of that duty, in the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, have with him the said register, and shall