Page:The constitution of Japan - with the laws pertaining thereto, and the imperial oath and speech. Promulgated at the Imperial palace, February 11th, 1889 (IA cu31924023459880).pdf/33

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—The election meeting shall be held in the Gun, Shi, or Ku Office, entrusted with the management of the election.

—The Chairman of Election shall nominate by lot an Election Committee of not less than three and of not more than seven persons, from among the witnesses assembling from the different voting places.

—On the day following that of the transmission of the ballot-boxes, the Chairman of Election shall open each ballot-box in the presence of the Election Committee, and shall count the total number of ballots and that of the voters. When there is any difference between the total number of ballots and that of the voters, the fact shall be entered in the minutes of the election.

—When the counting has been finished, the Chairman of Election shall inspect the ballots in company with the Election Committee.

—The electors may request admission to the election meeting of their respective election districts.

—The following ballots shall be void:—

"1. Those of persons whose names are not recorded in the electoral list. It is, however, otherwise in the case of a person who bas voted in virtue of a judgment of a Court of Law, which he had brought with him.

2. Ballots for which a regular voting paper has not been used.

3. Ballots, on which the voter’s name is not stated.

4. Those on which the name of a person who has no qualifications for election, is inscribed. But, in the case of a “scrutin de liste,” such a ballot shall have effect with respect to such of the persons named therein as do possessspossess [sic] those qualifications.

5. Those on which either the name of the voter or that of the person voted for cannot be deciphered on account of erroneous characters used, stains, erasures, or injuries. It is otherwise when the ordinary kana characters are used, or when the name, though formed of wrong characters, may be clearly recognized.

6. Those in which words other than those specified in the second clause of are written. But it is not the same when the official rank, profession, class and residence of the person voted for, have been added, so that there might not be mistake of identification, or when titles of respect have been used."

—When any doubt arises as to the validity of a ballot, the Chairman of Election shall decide, after having heard the opinion of the election Committee. Against this decision no objection can be raised at the election meeting.

—Those ballots that are void shall be crossed across, and the circumstances shall be recorded in the minutes of election. Such ballots shall be preserved for a year, and at the expiration of that time shall be destroyed by fire.