CHAPTER 303
AN ACT AGREEING TO A PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE V OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE RELATING TO THE SUPERIOR COURT ACTING AS BOARDS OF CANVASS.
WHEREAS, an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Delaware was proposed to the 120th General Assembly as follows:
An Act Proposing Amendments To Article V Of The Constitution Of The State Of Delaware, Relating To The Superior Court Acting As Boards Of Canvass.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Delaware (two-thirds of all the Members elected to each House agreeing thereto):
Section 1. Article V, Section 6 of the Constitution of the State of Delaware is amended by striking out all of that Section and inserting in lieu thereof a new Section 6 to read as follows:
Section 6. The presiding election officer of each hundred or election district, on the day next after the general election, shall deliver one of the certificates of the election, made and certified as required by law, together with the ballot box or ballot boxes, containing the ballots, and other papers required by law to be placed therein, to the Prothonotary of the Superior Court of the county, who shall at twelve o'clock noon on the second day after the election present the same to the said Court, and the election officer or officers having charge of any other certificate or certificates of the election shall at the same time present the same to the said Court, and the said Court shall at the same time convene for the performance of the duties hereby imposed upon it; and thereupon the said Court, with the aid of such of its officers and such sworn assistance as it shall appoint, shall publicly ascertain the state of the election throughout the county, by calculating the aggregate amount of all the votes for each office that shall be given in all the hundreds and election districts of the county for every person voted for such office.
In case the certificates of election of any hundred or election district shall not be produced, or in case the certificates produced do not agree, or in case of complaint under oath of fraud or mistake in any such certificate, or in case fraud or mistake is apparent on the face of any such certificate, the Court shall have power to issue summary process against the election officers or any other persons to bring them forthwith into Court with the election papers in their possession or control, and to open the ballot boxes and take therefrom any paper contained therein, and to make a recount of the ballots contained therein, and to correct any fraud or mistake in any certificate or paper relating to such election.
The said Court shall have all the other jurisdiction and powers now vested by law in the boards of canvass, and such other powers as shall be provided by law.
After the state of the election shall have been ascertained as aforesaid, the said Court shall make certificates thereof, under the seal of said Court in the form required by law, and transmit, deliver and lodge the same as required by this Constitution or by law, and deliver the ballot boxes to the sheriff of the county, to be by him kept and delivered as required by law.
No act or determination of the Court in the discharge of the duties imposed upon it by this Section shall be conclusive in the trial of any contested election.
For the purposes of this Section the Superior Court shall consist in New Castle County of the President Judge and resident Associate Judge; in Kent County of the Chancellor and the resident Associate Judge; and in Sussex County of the resident Associate Judge and an Associate Judge designated by the President Judge.
Two shall constitute a quorum. The Governor shall have power to commission a Judge for the purpose of constituting a quorum when by reason of legal exception to the Chancellor or any Judge, or for any other cause, a quorum could not otherwise be had. AND
WHEREAS, the said proposed amendment was agreed to by two-thirds of all the Members elected to each House in the said 120th General Assembly, NOW, THEREFORE,
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Delaware (two-thirds of all the Members elected to each House concurring therein):
Section 1. The said proposed amendment is agreed to and adopted and shall forthwith become a part of the Constitution.
Effective February 14, 1961.