(a) Within thirty (30) days after the date of issuance by the Secretary of State of a certificate of organization of a conservation district, nominating petitions may be filed with the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission to nominate candidates for directors of the district.
(b)
(1) The commission shall have authority to extend the time within which nominating petitions may be filed.
(2) No such nominating petition shall be accepted by the commission unless it shall be subscribed by twenty-five (25) or more qualified electors within the boundaries of the district.
(3) Qualified electors may sign more than one (1) such nominating petition to nominate more than one (1) candidate for director.
(4) The commission shall give due notice of an election to be held for the election of three (3) directors for the district.
(5) The names of all nominees on behalf of whom the nominating petitions have been filed within the time herein designated shall be printed, arranged in alphabetical order of the surnames upon ballots, with a direction to vote for three (3) by placing an “X” in the square beside the name of each person for whom the voter wishes to vote.
(6) All qualified electors within the district shall be eligible to vote in the election.
(7) The three (3) candidates who shall receive the largest number, respectively, of the votes cast in the election shall be the elected directors for the district.
(8) The commission shall:
(A) Pay all the expenses of the election;
(B) Supervise the conduct thereof;
(C) Prescribe rules governing the conduct of the election and the determination of the eligibility of voters therein; and
(D) Publish the results and report results of the election to the Secretary of State.
(c)
(1) Subsequent elections shall be conducted in the same manner. However, the district shall pay all the expenses of the elections, and the nominating petitions for candidates shall be filed with the commission during the first two (2) weeks of February of the year of election.
(2) The elections shall be scheduled as follows:
(A) On the first Tuesday in March 2000, and on the first Tuesday in March every third year thereafter, in those districts which have the greatest amount of district territory in the following counties:
(B) On the first Tuesday in March 1998, and on the first Tuesday in March every third year thereafter, in those districts which have the greatest amount of district territory in the following counties:
(C) On the first Tuesday in March 1999, and on the first Tuesday in March every third year thereafter in those districts which have the greatest amount of district territory in the following counties:
Boone Little River Carroll Logan Clark Lonoke Clay Poinsett Cleburne Polk Cleveland Saline Columbia Scott Conway Searcy Crawford St. Francis Cross White Fulton Woodruff Greene Yell Jefferson
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Baxter Phillips Calhoun Pike Craighead Pope Dallas Prairie Faulkner Pulaski Garland Randolph Hempstead Sebastian Monroe Sevier Nevada Sharp Newton Stone Ouachita Union Perry Van Buren Washington
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Arkansas Hot Spring Ashley Howard Benton Independence Bradley Izard Chicot Jackson Crittenden Johnson Desha Lafayette Drew Lawrence Franklin Lee Grant Lincoln Madison Mississippi Marion Montgomery Miller
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