Section 68 Statements made before public declaration of vote; penalties - Massachusetts Statutes

Section 68. No election officer shall, before the public declaration of the vote, make any statement of the number of ballots cast, the number of votes given for any person, the name of any person who has voted or whose name has not been checked, or of any other fact tending to show the state of the polls, except as expressly permitted by section one hundred and five and except that he shall when requested make a statement of the figures on the ballot box register, which statement shall not be considered an official declaration as to the state of the polls or of the number of ballots cast.

Any election officer who violates any provision of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than six months.