of 1871 and 1874, these elections must be held in separate though
adjoining buildings wherever this is practicable. Where the commune is
too small to furnish these facilities, the two elections may be held in
one place; but the votes for the two officers must be deposited in two
different urns. These urns are placed upon a table, at which the Mayor
of the commune presides with four assessors and a secretary, chosen by
them from among the electors. As the electors have the day before them,
the Mayor and the assessors are kept close prisoners at their posts till
the polls are closed. Nor is their work over then. As soon as the clock
strikes 6 P.M. the doors of the bureau close. But the Mayor and
the assessors must then proceed 'immediately' to examine and establish
the results of the voting. They choose from among the electors present a
certain number of 'scrutineers' knowing how to read and write. These
scrutineers take their seats at tables prepared for the purpose. At each
table there must be at least four scrutineers. The Mayor and the
assessors then empty the urns and count the votes, the secretary drawing
up a _proces-verbal_ the while. If there are more or fewer votes than
there were voters registered during the day as voting, this fact is
stated and affirmed. Blank or illegible votes, votes which do not
accurately give the name of the candidate voted for, or on which the
voters have put their own names, are not counted as valid, but they are
annexed to the _proces-verbal_. Votes not written on white paper, or
which bear any external indication of their tenor, are included in the
account as votes affecting the majority necessary to a choice, but they
are not put to the credit of the candidate whose name they bear; so
that, as a matter of fact, they tell against him. Moreover, if there are
more votes found in the urns than voters registered as voting, the
excess may be deducted from the number of votes given to the candidate
who has a majority.

I asked a very bright ruddy farmer in a spotless blue blouse, who was
watching the elections with great interest in one of the communes, what
he thought of this provision. 'It is a very good reason for watching the
mayors,' he said; '_dame_! a clever mayor who knows his commune, and has
good loose sleeves to his coat, can slip in a good many votes in this
way against the candidate who he knows is likely to win!'

I told him that in my own country we guarded the palladium of