present ballot, have power to apprehend and punish him) is the
first elector, the second the second elector, and so to the
seventh; which order they are to observe in their function.
"The electors as they are drawn shall be placed upon the bench by
the overseers, till the whole number be complete, and then be
conducted, with the list of the officers to be chosen, into a
place apart, where, being private, the first elector shall name a
person to the first office in the list; and if the person so
named, being balloted by the rest of the electors, attains not to
the better half of the suffrages in the affirmative, the first
elector shall continue nominating others, till one of them so
nominated by him attains to the plurality of the suffrages in the
affirmative, and be written first competitor to the first office.
This done, the second elector shall observe in his turn the like
order; and so the rest of the electors, naming competitors each
to his respective office in the list, till one competitor be
chosen to every office: and when one competitor is chosen to
every office, the first elector shall begin again to name a
second competitor to the first office, and the rest successively
shall name to the rest of the offices till two competitors be
chosen to every office; the like shall be repeated till three
competitors be chosen to every office. And when three competitors
are chosen to every office, the list shall be returned to the
overseers, or such as the overseers, in case they or either of
them happened to be electors, have substituted in his or their
place or places; and the overseers or substitutes having caused
the list to be read to the congregation, shall put the
competitors, in order as they are written, to the ballot of the
congregation; and the rest of the proceedings being carried on in
the manner directed in the fifth order, that competitor, of the