§ 1403Place of Meeting for Computation of Votes; Notice; Papers to Be Prepared; Assistants to Be Sworn

(a) The county board of elections shall arrange for the
computation and canvassing of the returns of votes cast at each
primary and election at its office or at some other convenient
public place at the county seat with adequate accommodations
for the watchers and attorneys authorized by this act to be
present, who shall be permitted to keep or check their own
computation of the votes cast in the several election districts
as the returns from the same are read, as hereinafter directed.
The county board shall give at least one week's previous notice
by newspaper publication, as provided by section 106 of this
act, of the time and place when and where the board will
commence and hold its sessions for the computation and
canvassing of the returns, and keep copies of such advertisement
posted in its office during said period. The county board shall
also prepare a sufficient number of blank forms of returns made
out in proper manner, and headed as the nature of the primary
or election may require, for making out full and fair statements
of all votes which shall have been cast within the county or
any political district therein, according to the returns from
the several election districts thereof, for any person voted
for therein, or upon any question voted upon therein. All the
clerks of the county board and other persons designated to
assist in the computation and canvassing of the votes shall be
first sworn to perform their duties impartially and not read,
write, count or certify any return or vote falsely or
fraudulently.
   (b) If any member of the county board of any county shall
be a candidate for any nomination or election to public office,
he shall not act as a member of said board for the computation
and canvassing of returns, but the other members, if qualified,
and if both such remaining members are not of the same political
party affiliation, shall act; and in case in any county there
are not at least a majority of the members of said board so
qualified, two (2) or more judges of the court of common pleas
shall be designated by said court to act as a return board,
provided that neither of them is a candidate for any nomination
or election to public office; and if there shall be only one
judge of such court in such county or if less than two (2)
judges are qualified and able to act in such county, any judge
who is qualified may act alone, and if there be none qualified,
the following county officers, in order named, not being
candidates for any nomination or election to any public office,
shall act as the return board: the prothonotary, sheriff, county
treasurer, clerk of the orphans' court, clerk of oyer and
terminer and quarter sessions court, register of wills and the
recorder of deeds. If none of the above officers can qualify,
the president judge of the court of common pleas in such county
shall make a written request to the Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court for the assignment of a judge from another judicial
district, who shall act as the return board. The county

solicitor shall serve as counsel for the return board in the
several counties of the Commonwealth and shall receive no
additional compensation therefor in addition to his compensation
as county solicitor. ((b) amended Nov. 30, 1959, P.L.1614,
No.588)
  Compilers Note: Section 11 of Act 269 of 1976 provided that
      section 1403(b) is repealed insofar as it is inconsistent
      with Act 169.