Under the watchful eyes of several state and city officials, the Cambridge Board of Elections held appeal hearing yesterday for two people--one of them a student--who had been rejected in previous attempts to register to vote.

Among those present at the hearing were Rep. John Businger (D-Brookline), a member of the Ligislature's Committee on Election Laws; James McDaniel, an assistant in the Civil Rights Division of the Attorney General's office; James Caragianes, chairman of the Democratic City Committee; and David E. Sullivan, coordinator of the Cambridge Committee for Voter Registration.

All four members of the Board of Elections were in attendance, but Election Commissioner Edward J. Samp Jr. conducted most of the questioning at both hearings.

The first case was that of Zachary H. Levine, an MIT sophomore, who was told when he first tried to register this summer that he had insufficient proof of legal domicile in Cambridge.

Probing questions

Samp probed Levine on such matters as his driver's license, draft card, income tax returns, back accounts, and future plans. The following are excerpts from their conversation:

Q. "When did you decide that you wanted to make Cambridge your home, apart from being a student here?"

A. "I would say in September 1972--that would be the best answer."

Q. What did you do at that time to make yourself a resident, that you would not have done if you were just a student?"

A. "I find that distinction hard to make."

Q. "To what extent did you move to Cambridge?"

A. "Most of my personal belongings, uh, bank accounts, my driver's license."

Later, Samp queried Levine on his ties to his parents' home in Buffalo, N.Y.:

Q. "Do your parents still live in Buffalo?"

A. "Yes."