(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in a referendum held pursuant to this article, if a majority of electors from the special purpose district voting in the election vote in favor of the election of members of the district's governing body, the county election commission must conduct non-partisan elections as provided in this section. Nothing in this article shall bar any appointed member of the district's governing body from becoming a candidate for an election to the district's governing body in any election.
(B) On the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November in the year immediately following the year of the referendum, the voters shall elect commissioners for all seats on the district's governing body. Candidates must file a statement of intention of candidacy with the county election commission. Except for the initial election of commissioners as provided in subsection (C), all commissioners must be elected on an at-large basis for terms of four years with terms staggered so that a simple majority of the commissioners are elected in a general election in an even-numbered year, and the remaining commissioners are elected at the next preceding and following general elections in even-numbered years. The terms of office of commissioners whose seats are subject to contest in a general election shall expire fourteen days following the general election.
(C) For the initial election of commissioners, all seats shall be considered vacant. From among the commissioners elected in the initial election, a simple majority thereof shall serve terms which expire fourteen days following the general election held three years after the initial election. Those commissioners entitled to serve the initial three-year terms shall be those commissioners equal in number to a simple majority of the membership who received the highest number of votes cast in the initial election. The remaining commissioners shall serve terms which expire fourteen days following the general election held the year following the initial election.
(D) The county board of elections shall conduct and supervise the elections for commissioners in the manner governed by the election laws of this State, mutatis mutandis. Vacancies must be filled in the manner provided in Section 7-13-190.
HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 397, Section 2.