(A) The State Election Commission shall elect an executive director who shall be directly responsible to the commission and who shall serve at the pleasure of the commission. The executive director shall be the chief administrative officer for the State Election Commission.
(B) The executive director shall receive such compensation and employ such staff, subject to the approval of the State Election Commission, as may be provided by law.
(C) The executive director shall:
(1) supervise the conduct of county board of elections and voter registration, as established pursuant to Article 1, Chapter 5, which administer elections and voter registration in the State and ensure those boards' compliance with the requirements with applicable state or federal law or State Election Commission policies and procedures with regard to the conduct of elections or the voter registration process by all persons involved in the elections process;
(2) conduct reviews, audits, or other postelection analysis of county board of elections and voter registration, as established pursuant to Article 1, Chapter 5, to ensure those boards' compliance with the requirements with applicable state or federal law or State Election Commission policies and procedures with regard to the conduct of elections or the voter registration process by all persons involved in the elections process;
(3) maintain a complete master file of all qualified electors by county and by precincts;
(4) delete the name of any elector:
(a) who is deceased;
(b) who is no longer qualified to vote in the precinct where currently registered;
(c) who has been convicted of a disqualifying crime;
(d) who is otherwise no longer qualified to vote as may be provided by law; or
(e) who requests in writing that his name be removed;
(5) enter names on the master file as they are reported by the county boards of voter registration and elections;
(6) furnish each county board of voter registration and elections with a master list of all registered voters in the county, together with a copy of all registered voters in each precinct of the county, at least ten days prior to each election. The precinct copies shall be used as the official list of voters;
(7) maintain all information furnished his office relating to the inclusion or deletion of names from the master file for four years;
(8) purchase, lease, or contract for the use of such equipment as may be necessary to properly execute the duties of his office, subject to the approval of the State Election Commission;
(9) secure from the United States courts and federal and state agencies available information as to persons convicted of disqualifying crimes;
(10) obtain information from any other source which may assist him in carrying out the purposes of this section;
(11) perform such other duties relating to elections as may be assigned him by the State Election Commission;
(12) furnish at reasonable price any precinct lists to a qualified elector requesting them;
(13) serve as the chief state election official responsible for implementing and coordinating the state's responsibilities under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993;
(14) serve as the chief state election official responsible for implementing and enforcing the state's responsibilities under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), as set forth in the U.S.C., Title 42, Section 1973ff, et seq.; and
(15) establish and maintain a statewide voter registration database that shall be administered by the commission and made continuously available to each county board of voter registration and elections and to other agencies as authorized by law.
(D) The State Election Commission shall publish on the commission's website each change to voting procedures enacted by state or local governments. State and local governments shall file notice of all changes in voting procedures, including, but not limited to, changes to precincts with the State Election Commission within five days after adoption of the change or thirty-five days prior to the implementation, whichever is earlier. All voting procedure changes must remain on the commission's website at least through the date of the next general election. However, if changes are made within three months prior to the next general election, then the changes shall remain on the commission's website through the date of the following general election.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 23-31; 1967 (55) 657; 1968 (55) 2316; 1996 Act No. 466, Section 2, eff August 21, 1996; 2006 Act No. 253, Section 1, eff March 24, 2006; 2012 Act No. 265, Section 4, eff upon preclearance approval or declaratory judgment; 2014 Act No. 196 (S.815), Sections 1, 10, eff June 2, 2014.
Editor's Note
2012 Act No. 265, Section 9, provides as follows:
"This act takes effect upon preclearance approval by the United States Department of Justice or approval by a declaratory judgment issued by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, whichever occurs first."
Preclearance approval for 2012 Act No. 265 was received on October 1, 2012.