Italia (Turin, 1910);
Siotto-Pintor, Estensione del suffragio e
distribuzione della rappresentanza, in _Rivista di
Diritto Pubblico_, Dec., 1911, and Le riforma del
regime elettorale e le dottrine della
rappresentanza politica e dell' elettorato nel
secolo XX. (Rome, 1912).]

*416. Electoral Procedure.*--Save during the years 1882-91, when the
_scrutinio di lista_ was in operation, deputies have been chosen
uniformly from single-member districts. There are to-day 508 such
districts. No candidate is returned unless he not only polls a number
of votes in excess of one-sixth of the total number of enrolled
electors within the district, but has also an absolute majority of all
the votes cast. If, after balloting, it is found that no candidate
meets this requirement, a second ballot (_ballottaggio_) takes place
one week subsequently.[554] At each polling place the presiding
officer and "scrutineers" are chosen by the voters present. The method
of voting is simple. In the polling-booth stands a table, on which are
placed two square glass boxes, one empty, the other containing the
voting papers. As the list of enrolled electors is read
alphabetically, each man steps forward, receives a ballot paper, takes
it to an adjoining table and writes on it the name of the candidate
for whom he wishes to vote, folds the paper, and deposits it in the
box reserved for the purpose. After the list has been read through it
is the right of any voter who was not present to respond when his name
was called to cast his ballot in a similar manner. The polling hours
extend, as a rule, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.[555]

[Footnote 554: At the elections of March, 1909, in
75 of the 508 districts no candidate received an
adequate majority. In 57 of these districts the
candidate who, at the first ballot, had received
the largest number of votes was elected at the
second ballot. The political effect of the second
ballot is slight. At the election of 1900 there
were 77 second ballotings; at that of 1904, 39. A.
N. Holcombe, Direct Primaries and the Second
Ballot, in _Amer. Political Science Review_, Nov.,
1911; A. F. Locatelli, Considerazioni