Sprague v. Norway

Citations

• 31 Cal. 173

Syllabus

<p>Appointment of Inspector of Election. — If the Inspector of an election, appointed by the Board of Supervisors, fails to attend at the polls, and one is there appointed by the Judges, instead of being appointed by the electors present, it is not such an irregularity as will vitiate the election at that precinct, provided the result of the election is not thereby changed.</p> <p>Reading the Ballots at Election.—If the Judges and Inspector of an election cannot read, and for that reason a person who is not a member of the Election Board, nor a Clerk, takes the ballots from the box and reads them to the tellers, at the invitation of the Board, it is not an irregularity which will vitiate the election at that precinct if the result of the election is not thereby changed.</p> <p>Irregularities at Election.—As a general rule, mere irregularities which do not affect the final result do not vitiate an election.</p> <p>Word “Month” in the Constitution and Laws.—Whenever the word “month” is used in the Constitution and laws of this State, without any qualification, a calendar and not a lunar month is intended.</p> <p>Meaning of Words used in Laws.—In construing laws, words not technical will be presumed to have been used in the sense in which they are understood by those for whom the laws are made.</p>