§11-46-95. Designation of voting places generally; voting centers; officials and equipment; voting procedures.

(a) The board of commissioners shall, when it orders an election, designate at least one place of voting in each ward and if the ward has been divided into voting districts then at least one place of voting in each district.

In those wards or districts where paper ballots are used in which there are more than 300 legal voters or where voting machines are used and there are more than 600 legal voters, the board of commissioners may divide alphabetically the list of qualified voters in the ward or district into groups and assign each qualified voter a designated voting place and a designated box or voting machine in the ward or district.

Nothing contained in this subsection shall be construed to require the board of commissioners to designate more than one voting place in any ward which has not been divided into districts nor more than one voting place in any district, nor to provide a ballot box for every 300 qualified electors when paper ballots are used or a voting machine for every 600 qualified electors where voting machines are used.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) or any other provision of this article, the governing body of a municipality may establish in any ward or in the municipality where voting machines are used a voting center, which term means any place in the ward or municipality which the governing body designates as a place where a voting machine or voting machines will be maintained or operated at elections.

The ordinance so designating voting centers shall state the location of the voting center and, if the voting center is to be utilized in a ward, then the boundaries of the ward in which the electors shall reside to be entitled to vote at the voting center. The voting list furnished to the election officers serving at the voting center shall contain the names of all qualified electors of the ward or municipality on a single roll; however, when the roll contains more than 2,400 names, the list of qualified electors on the roll shall be divided into alphabetical sections of not more than 2,400 names per section.

No elector shall vote at any voting center other than the voting center of the ward of which he or she is a qualified elector, but any elector eligible to vote at a voting center may vote on any voting machine maintained at the voting center upon presentation of the identification card issued to him or her by an election officer serving at the voting center.

The municipal governing body shall determine the number of voting machines deemed necessary to serve adequately the voters at any election; provided, however, that there shall be maintained at each voting center at least one voting machine for each 600 qualified electors, or fraction thereof, residing in the ward served by the voting center.

For each voting center where only one voting machine is to be used, the election officials shall consist of an inspector, a chief clerk, and a first and second assistant clerk. For each voting center where more than one voting machine is to be used, there shall be appointed one chief inspector, who shall supervise the conduct of the other officials and the operation of the voting center, one inspector, and one chief clerk and, for each voting machine to be used at the center, there shall be appointed two assistant clerks. For each voting center where four or more voting machines are to be used, there may be appointed two additional assistant clerks for each group of four voting machines or fraction thereof.

The municipal governing body must, not more than 20 nor less than 15 days before the holding of any municipal election, appoint from the qualified electors of the municipality or the ward officers to hold the election as provided in this article.

The officers shall perform all duties imposed on election officers by this article and in addition thereto the following duties: One of the election officers shall be assigned to each section of the voting list and the election officer shall issue to each elector at the time he or she checks the name off the list of qualified electors an identification card, which shall be presented to the assistant clerk in charge of the voting machine and surrendered to him or her when the voter enters the voting machine. The identification cards shall each have printed on them the words "voter identification card" and they shall contain a space in which shall be entered the signature of the election officer who delivered the card to the elector. The identification card shall bear neither a number nor the name of the voter. Identification cards shall be procured by the same officer who procures other election supplies and shall be paid for from the same funds that the cost of other election supplies are paid. The assistant clerk in charge of the voting machine shall require that each voter sign at the machine a poll list before he or she is allowed to enter the machine to vote. The poll list shall be signed or the name of the voter recorded as provided in Section 17-7-15.

The returns of the canvass as required by law shall be filled out and verified and shall show the number of votes cast for each candidate, the number of votes cast for and against any proposition submitted, and shall be signed and certified by the chief inspector, if any, an inspector or chief clerk and not less than two assistant clerks.

Election officers serving at voting centers shall be compensated for their services in the same manner and at the same rates provided by law for election officers under the provisions of Section 11-46-98.

It shall be the duty of all election officials to see that order is maintained in the polling place and the inspector shall see that the returns are filled out for each voting machine as required by law and delivered to the proper officials, that the records of the election relating to each machine are enclosed respectively in each machine, and that the list of qualified voters, and any other records relating to the election in general, are enclosed in the appropriate voting machine.

(Acts 1961, No. 664, p. 868, §6; Acts 1976, No. 361, p. 426, §3; Act 2006-281, p. 496, §1.)