lations for their safe-keeping, and subject, however, to the further provisions of this act. Section 6. The commissioners shall, not later than August fifteenth of each year, appoint four regis- Registrars. trars for each election district as herein provided, and designate two of them, one of whom shall be of the majority party, to have charge of the two registers as hereinafter provided. The registrars must be duly Qualifications. qualified electors of the said district, and shall have been residents of the city for a period of two years, and of the ward for one year, immediately preceding their appointment. They must be sober and judicious persons, of good moral character, able to read intelligently and to write legibly. Two of the registrars shall be members of the party polling the highest vote within the election district. at the last preceding November election, and one, at least, shall be a member of the party polling the next highest number of votes at said. election. The commissioners shall provide, at all trars. times, a board of registrars, not more than two of whom Board of reglsshall be of the same political faith. If, therefore, it appears at any time that, by reason of a change in political affiliations or because of error in the appointment, a board is not so divided, any ten electors of any election district may file a petition with the commissioners, setting forth the facts, and praying that one or more of the appointments may be revoked and that other appointments may be made. Upon presentation of such a petition, one of the commissioners shall fix a time, not less than five days thereafter, and at least three days notice shall be given by mail to all the registrars of such board who are alleged to be of the same political faith, when a public hearing shall be given all concerned, and if the facts are then found to be as represented, the commissioners shall give the relief asked for. trars. Public officers as registrars. Petition of electors registrars. for appointment of Whenever expedient they may appoint the assessor of Assessors as regisany election district, if otherwise qualified, as one of the registrars, but no other person who holds or is a candidate for public office shall act as registrar. Section 7. Not later than July twentieth of each year, any five or more qualified electors of any election district of the same political party may file with the commissioners their petition for the appointment of not more than two qualified persons, also members of said party, as registrars. The petition shall set forth the Contents. name, address, qualifications, occupation, and political affiliation of each person suggested for appointment as a registrar, and give the respective residences of the petitioners, and declare that each of them belongs to the same party as that designated as the party of each candidate; which petition shall be signed by each titioner in his own handwriting, and sworn to by one Signing. Verification. More than one petition. Withdrawal of candidate. l'etitions open to public inspection. Hearings Notice of examination of candidates for registrar. Appointment of registrars. Protests by elect ors. Appointees must perform duties. Meetings of regis places. of them and by each candidate. All petitions shall be open to public inspection, and, not earlier than July twenty-sixth of each year, the commissioners shall commence public hearings thereof, considering them on consecutive week-days in the numerical order of the wards and of the election districts within each ward to which they relate respectively, unless reasonable cause be shown for postponing any hearing to a later time or date, and reasonable notice of such postponement given to all concerned. The commissioners shall publish one general notice of the place and times or days when they will examine the candidates from the election districts of the various wards, at least three days prior to the first hearing, in at least two daily newspapers, each having a paid circulation of at least fifty thousand copies daily in the city, and shall mail to each candidate a special notice of the time and place when he will be examined regarding his qualifications, at least three days before the day fixed for same, except that the commissioners need not notify any candidate who had previously been appointed a registrar to appear, but may reappoint him without such examination. If more candidates are duly nominated as members of any party than it is entitled to have appointed, the commissioners shall appoint the candidate or candidates whom they consider most fit, and if there are not sufficient fit candidates nominated on behalf of any party, the commissioners may appoint other persons, without regard to party, of whom they have knowledge. Any qualified elector of the city may appear before the commission, and show wherein any person nominated for appointment or appointed as a registrar does not possess the requisite qualifications, and the commissioners may decline to appoint any candidate or remove any registrar whom they consider unfit. No person shall be appointed a registrar unless the appointment is approved by three commissioners. Any person appointed a registrar must perform his duties as prescribed by this act, unless excused therefrom by the commissioners for cause shown. Section 8. The registrars of each election district trars at polling shall meet at the polling place thereof in even nuinbered years on the ninth Thursday, the seventh Tuesday, and fifth Saturday, preceding the general election, which shall be known as a fall registration, on the fifth Wednesday, preceding the spring primary, which shall Receiving of per sonal applications for registration. Examination of applicants. Registering names of appli Meetings of com applications for registration. Section 9. For the further accommodation of the public, the commission shall hold regular sessions for mission to receive the registration of electors, at its office, in even numbered years on each day, except Sunday, from the fourth Tuesday to and including the second Saturday, preceding the spring primary, and on each day, except Sunday, from the fourth Wednesday to and including the second Saturday, preceding the general election; and in odd numbered years on each day, except Sunday, from the eighth Wednesday preceding the municipal election to and including the fifth day, preceding the fall primary; and, after said primary, from the sixth Monday to and including the second Saturday before the municipal election; on each of which days the commission shall remain in session from nine o'clock ante meridian to twelve o'clock noon and from one to four post meridian to receive personal applications for registration from electors who, on account of illness, absence from the city, business or personal reasons, did not find it convenient to appear at their polling places on any of the registration days when the registrars were in session, or who, although not then qualified, have since become qualified to be registered, or who were refused registration by the registrars for any reason; but the commissioners shall examine all Examination of applicants for registration before them as fully as the registrars are required to interrogate persons who appear before them at the polling-places, and inquire also whether they were refused registration by the registrars, and, if so, why, and require any person who is challenged by any qualified elector of the city to meet such challenge in the same manner as if he had been duly challenged before the registrars of his election district. applicants. names by commis Section 10. The names and other information con- Registering of cerning those whom the commissioners shall determine sion. to be entitled to be registered at the office of the commission, shall be recorded on the same registers as were Spring registration. Registration preceding special elections. Notice of registration days. How long registra- Preservation of old registers. Applicants must apply in person. Examination. Recordation of answers. previously used at the polling-places by the registrars for registering other electors residing in the same election district, and the commissioners shall keep separate lists of the names and addresses of all electors registered by them in each election district, but need not print them in the street lists previously prepared by the registrars. Section 11. Electors who did not register at a fall registration may register at the spring registration, if any, of the following year, if they will be qualified to vote at the spring primary. The commissioners shall also sit on the third Wednesday preceding every special election for the purpose of registering all electors who have not been registered in the election district in which they then reside, but who otherwise are or will be fully qualified to vote at such election if they shall continue to reside in said district. Section 12. Two weeks notice of all registration days shall be given by the commissioners by one general notice, published in at least two daily newspapers, each having a paid circulation of at least fifty thousand copies daily in the city, and by posting notices at the polling-places. The registration lists shall become of no validity at the beginning of the period of fall registration next succeeding that at which the registers were opened. The old registers shall be preserved by the commissioners for at least two years after the year in which they are in use, and, during said period, shall be open to public inspection under proper regulations for their safe-keeping, and no register shall be destroyed without the previous consent in writing of the district attorney of the proper county. Section 13. Every person claiming the right to vote must appear in person before the registrars in the district in which he lives or before the commissioners, on one of the days prescribed by law, and answer the questions put to him by them. The answers must be recorded on a single line in two registers, which shall have the following form: |