(a) There is a single Board of Elections that governs both election districts.
(b) The Board consists of fourteen members; seven from each district, who are elected by the electors of each election district beginning with the 2018 general election. No more than four members of the same political party may represent a district, including individuals who are not affiliated with any political party.
(c) The term of office for each member shall be four (4) years beginning on the first Monday after the first day of January following the election. The terms of office shall be staggered such that (i) at the 2018 general election, the electors of the St. Thomas-St. John election district may vote for one (1) St. John resident candidate and for not more than two (2) St. Thomas resident candidates; the electors of the St. Croix district may vote for not more than three (3) St. Croix resident candidates; (ii) at the 2020 general election, the electors of the St. Thomas-St. John election district may vote for one (1) St. John resident candidate and for not more than three (3) St. Thomas resident candidates; the electors of the St. Croix district may vote for not more than four (4) St. Croix resident candidates.
(d) No person is eligible to be a member of the Board unless he meets the same eligibility qualifications for a member of the Legislature, as prescribed in section 6(b) of the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands, except that the final sentence of said section 6(b) does not apply.
(e) The members of the Board shall elect a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman from among its number at the first meeting after each election. A Chairman or a Vice-Chairman may be replaced by the members of the board.
(f) Whenever a vacancy occurs, the Board of Elections shall certify within thirty (30) days thereafter, the candidate who received the next highest vote count in the immediately preceding election. The individual must be a member of the same political party in which the vacancy occurred. The person appointed shall serve for the remainder of the term; provided, however, whenever a vacancy occurs and the candidate who received the next highest vote count either is not in the same political party as the person who vacated the position, or the person who vacated the position is not affiliated with any political party, then the Board shall certify the candidate who received the next highest vote count.
(g) Each member of the Board of elections shall receive a stipend of $75 for each day or at least one-half of the time of the entire meeting in the performance of his official duties, plus necessary travel and subsistence expenses for travel from the island of residence for attendance at each meeting of the board; provided, that the stipend shall be $125 for members and $150 for the Chairman on election days, and on days on which recounts are held.
(h) The quorum of each Board shall be a majority of its members. No official action may be taken by a Board unless at a regular meeting, or a meeting called by the Chairman or by the members of the Board, at which a quorum is present by affirmative vote of a majority of its members present.