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teen hundred and fifty-three, and on the same day and month in
every fourth year thereafter, at the places of voting for delegates to
the General Assembly, and every person qualified to vote for dele
gates shall be qualified and entitled to vote for governor; the elec
tion to be held in the same manner as the election of delegates,
and the returns thereof, under seal, to be addressed to the speaker
of the House of Delegates, and enclosed and transmitted to the
Secretary of State, and delivered to the said speaker, at the corn
mencment of the session of the legislature next ensuing said
election.
Sac. 3. The Speaker of the House of Delegates, shall then open
the said returns in the presence of both Houses, and the person
having the highest number of votes, and being constitutionally eli
gible, shall be the Governor, and shall qualify in the manner herein
prescribed, on the second Wednesday of January next ensuing his
election, or as soon thereafter as may be practicable.
SEC. 4. If two or more persons shall have the highest and an
equal number of votes, one of them shall he chosen Governor by
the Senate and House of Delegates; and all questions in relation to
the eligibility of Governor, and to the returns of said election, and
to the number and legality of votes therein given, shall be deter
mined by the House of Delegates. And if the person, or persons,
having the highest number of votes be ineligible, the Governor shall
be chosen by the Senate and House of Delegates. Every election
of Governor by the Legislature, shall be determined by a joint
majority of the Senate and House of Delegates, and the vote shall
be taken viva voce. But if two or more persons shall have the
highest and an equal number of votes, then a second vote shall be
taken, which shall be confined to the persons having an equal num
her; and if. the votes should again be equal, then the election of
Governor shall be determined by lot between those who shall have
the highest and an equal number on the first vote.
SEC. 5. The State shall be divided into three districts; St. Mary's,
Charles, Calvert, Prince George's, Anne Arundel, Montgomery and
Howard counties, and the city of Baltimore, to be the first; the
eight counties of the Eastern Shore to be the second; and Balti
snore, Harford, Frederick, Washington, Allegany and Carroll coun
ties, to be the third. The Governor elected from the third district
in October last, shall continue in office during the term for which
he was elected. The Governor shall be taken from thc first district,
at the first election of Governor under this Constitution; from the
second district at the second election. and from the third district at
the third election, and in like manner, afterwards, from each dis
trict, in regular succession.
SEC. 6. A person to be eligible to the office of Governor, must
have attained the age of thirty years, and been for five years a
citizen of the United States, and for five years next
preceding his election a resident of the State, and for three years
a resident of the district from which lie was elected.
SEc. 7. In case of the death or resignation of the Governor, or
of his removal from the Slate, the General Assembly, if in session,
or if not, at their next session shall elect some other qualified resi—