PUBLIC LAWS-CH. 142-APR. 19, 1946 "'TAKING OF POLLS PROHIBITED "Poll." Penalty. "Secretary ofstate. " "United States. " "Members of the merchant marine of the United States. " "SEC. 302. (a) No person within or without the armed forces of the United States shall poll any member of such forces, either within or without the United States, either before or after he shall have executed any ballot under any State law, with reference to his choice of or his vote for any candidate for any of the offices authorized to be voted for by the use of the aforesaid ballot nor state, publish, or release any result of any purported poll taken from or among the members of the armed forces of the United States or including within it the statement of choice for or of votes cast by any member of the armed forces of the United States for any of the offices authorized to be voted for by the use of the aforesaid ballot. "(b) The word 'poll' is defined as any request for information, either verbal or written, which by its language or form of expression requires or implies the necessity of an answer, where the request is made with the intent of compiling the result of the answers obtained, either for the personal use of the person making the request, or for the purpose of reporting the same to any other person, persons, political party, unincorporated association or corporation, or for the purpose of publishing the same orally, by radio, or in written or printed form. "(c) Any person not a member of the armed forces of the United States who violates the provisions of this section, either within or outside of the United States, shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both. "TITLE IV "DEFINITIONS "SEC. 401. As used in this Act- "(a) The term 'secretary of state' shall include such other official in any State wherever an official other than the secretary of state is the appropriate State official to carry out any function vested in the secre- tary of state under this Act; "(b) The term 'United States' used geographically includes only the territorial limits of the several States of the United States and the Dis- trict of Columbia; and "(c) The term 'members of the merchant marine of the United States' means persons (other than members of the armed forces) employed as officers or members of crews of vessels documented under the laws of the United States, or of vessels owned by the United States, or of vessels of foreign-flag registry under charter to or control of the United States, and persons (other than members of the armed forces) enrolled with the United States for employment, or for training for employment, or maintained by the United States for emergency relief service, as officers or members of crews of any such vessels; but does not include persons so employed, or enrolled for such employment or for training for such employment, or maintained for emergency relief serv- ice, on the Great Lakes or the inland waterways. " FRE E POSTAGE "SEC. 402. Official post cards, ballots, voting instructions, and enve- lopes referred to in this Act, whether transmitted individually or in bulk, shall be free of postage, including air-mail postage, in the United States mails: Provided, That in order to be entitled to free air-mail postage under this Act, a State balloting unit, composed of ballot, voting instructions, and envelope or envelopes, must not exceed in weight the total of one ounce. [60 STAT. 102
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