presiding officers. § 973. The presiding officers have the same Powers of power to preserve order, to enforce obedience and commit for disorderly conduct, as is possessed by the board of inspectors at a general election. § 974. The town clerk is clerk of the meeting. Clerk. In his absence the electors shall choose a clerk. § 975. The clerk shall keep full minutes of all Minutes. proceedings, entering at length all directions and regulations made by the meeting. The minutes shall be subscribed by the clerk and presiding officers, and filed in the town clerk's office within two days after the meeting. meetings. § 976. Town meetings shall be kept open in the Time of daytime only, between sunrise and sunset, and, if necessary, may be held two days successively, but no longer. majority governs. § 977. All questions upon motions made at Vote of town meetings shall be determined by the majority of the electors voting; and the presiding officers shall ascertain and declare the result of each vote. votes. § 978. If any person offering to vote on any Challenged question in town meeting is challenged as unqualified, the presiding officers shall proceed thereupon in the manner prescribed by the "Election Laws." to be twice challenged § 979. No person whose vote has been received Voter not after challenge, shall be again challenged at the same meeting. Officers to be chosen. Fence view ers. ARTICLE III. ELECTION OF TOWN OFFICERS. SECTION 980. Officers to be chosen. 981. Fence viewers. 982. Proclamation. 983. Certain officers to be chosen by ballot. 984. Other officers, how chosen. 985. Vote by ballot. 986. Illegal voting. 987. Reference to election laws. 988. Canvass may be adjourned or continued after sunset. 989. Notice to officers of their election. 990. Classification. 991. Ballots may designate term. 992. Determination of result. 993. Classification by lot. 994. Commissioners of highways. 995. Commissioners of highways may administer oaths. § 980. There shall be chosen at the annual town meeting in each town, except where otherwise provided by special laws, a supervisor, one justice of the peace, a town clerk, and assessor, a collector, and as many overseers of highways as there are road districts in the town, and also such of the officers mentioned in subdivision 4 of section 964 as are required by the determination of the town pursuant thereto. 1 R. S., 644, §§ 3, 4. § 981. The assessors and commissioners of highways are by virtue of their offices the fence viewers of their town. tion. § 982. Before the electors proceed to elect any Proclamatown officer, proclamation shall be made of the opening of the poll, and proclamation shall be made of each adjournment, and of the opening and closing of the poll, until the election is ended. 1 R. S., 650, § 1. officers to by ballot. § 983. The supervisor, justices of the peace, certain town clerk, assessors, collector, overseers of the be chosen poor, commissioners of highways and constables shall be chosen by ballot. Ib., §§ 2, 22. 984. All other town officers shall be chosen other either: 1. By ballot; 2. By ayes and noes; or 3. By the rising or dividing of the electors, as the meeting may determine. officers,how chosen. ballot. § 985 When the vote is by ballot the following Vote by rules shall be observed: 1. All the officers voted for shall be named in one ballot, which shall contain their names and the offices to which they are intended to be chosen ; 2. The ballots shall be delivered to the presiding officers, so folded as to conceal the contents; 3. The clerk shall keep a poll list and enter thereon the name of each person whose vote is received; Illegal voting. Reference to "election laws." Canvass may be adjourned or contin ued after sunset. Notice of the result. 4. The presiding officers shall deposit the ballots in a box, to be constructed, kept and disposed of in the manner prescribed in the "Election Laws ;" 5. The presiding officers are the inspectors to canvass the result of the election; 6. The canvass being completed, a statement of the result shall be entered at length by the clerk in the minutes, which shall be publicly read by him to the meeting. 1 R. S., 650, §§ 4, 5, 6, 20. § 986. Any person who votes in a town in which he does not reside, or offers to vote in more than one town at any annual town meeting, in the same year, is guilty of a misdemeanor. Ib., § 16. § 987. Other provisions respecting the conduct of elections are contained in the "Election Laws." § 988. At the close of the polls the canvassers may determine whether the canvass of the votes shall then be had or postponed until the next day; if they determine that it be had then, it may be continued after sunset; but it shall be had publicly at the place where the meeting was held. Ib., § 18. § 989. The clerk of the meeting, within ten days thereafter, shall transmit to each person elected to any town office, whose name was not entered on the poll list as a voter, a notice of his election. The reading of the result, as required by section 985, shall be deemed notice to those whose names were so entered. Within ten days after any election for justice of the peace, the town clerk shall transmit to the county clerk his certificate of the result thereof. 1 R. S., 650, §§ 21, 28; Ib., 322, § 70. tion. § 990. When any one of several persons elected Classificajustices of the peace, at an annual meeting, is then already an incumbent of the office, for a term then unexpired, he shall be deemed elected for four years following the first day of January after the election. 1 R. S., 650, § 25. designate terms. § 991. When at any such town meeting, except Ballots may the first election in a new town, two or more justices are to be elected, any elector not voting for a person already an incumbent may designate on his ballot the person intended for the term of four years following the first day of January thereafter, by the words, or words and figures, "longest term," "four years," or "4 years." In such case the persons having the greatest number of votes, without reference to such designation, are elected ; and the person elected and having the greatest number of such designations, is elected for the regular term of four years. Ib., § 26, 27. |