(1) The clerk of each municipality using paper ballots shall provide printed ballots for every municipal election. The official ballots shall be printed and in the possession of the clerk at least ten days before the election. In addition, sample ballots shall be printed and in the possession of the clerk ten days before the election and shall be subject to public inspection. The sample ballots shall be printed in the form of the official ballots but upon paper of a different color from the official ballots. Sample ballots shall be delivered to the judges of election and posted with the cards of instruction provided in section 31-10-906.
Every ballot shall contain the names of all duly nominated candidates for offices tobe voted for at that election, except those who have died or withdrawn, and the ballot shall contain no other names. The names of the candidates for each office shall be printed upon the ballot without political party designation and without any title or degree designating the business or profession of the candidate. The names shall be arranged by lot as prescribed by the municipal clerk under the designation of the office.
(a) The ballots shall be printed to give each voter a clear opportunity to designate his choice of candidates by a cross mark (X) in the square at the right of the name. On the ballot may be printed such words as will aid the voter, such as "vote for not more than one".
At the end of the list of candidates for each different office shall be as many blankspaces as there are persons to be elected to such office in which the voter may write the name of any eligible person not printed on the ballot for whom he desires to vote as a candidate for such office; but no cross mark (X) shall be required at the right of the name so written in.
When the approval of any question is submitted at a municipal election, such question shall be printed upon the ballot after the lists of candidates for all offices. The ballots shall be printed to give each voter a clear opportunity to designate his answer by a cross mark (X) in the appropriate square at the right of the question.
(4) (a) The extreme top part of each ballot shall be divided by two perforated lines into two spaces, each of which shall be not less than an inch in width, the top portion being known as the stub and the next portion as the duplicate stub. Upon each of said stubs nothing shall be printed except the number of the ballot, and the same number shall be printed upon both stubs. Stubs and duplicate stubs of ballots shall both be numbered consecutively. The requirements of this subsection (4)(a) do not apply to ballots used in mail ballot elections.
(b) All ballots shall be uniform and of sufficient length and width to allow for the names of candidates and the proposed questions to be printed in clear, plain type with a space of at least one-half inch between the different columns on said ballot. On the back of each ballot shall be printed the endorsement "Official ballot for....", and after the word "for" shall follow the designation of the precinct, ward, and municipality for which the ballot is prepared, the date of the election, and a facsimile of the signature of the clerk who has caused the ballot to be printed. The ballot shall contain no caption or other endorsement or number. Each clerk shall use precisely the same quality and tint of paper, the same kind of type, and the same quality and tint of plain black ink for all ballots furnished by him at one election. When candidates are to be voted for only by the registered electors of a particular ward, the names of such candidates shall not be printed on any other ballots than those provided for use in such ward. The ballots shall be of such form that when folded the whole endorsement is visible and the contents of the ballot are not exposed.
Source: L. 75: Entire title R&RE, p. 1058, § 1, effective July 1. L. 93: (2) amended, p. 1710, § 9, effective July 1. L. 2020: (4) amended, (HB 20-1156), ch. 51, p. 177, § 2, effective September 14.
Editor's note: This section is similar to former § 31-10-508 as it existed prior to 1975.