PART I. FRAMING AND ADOPTING CHARTER -- GENERAL.

§8-3-1. Charter board for cities -- Number of members; qualifications of members; nominations; ballots and ballot labels; dismissal of proceeding.

At every election on the question of incorporation of a city, under article two of this chapter, each qualified voter entitled to vote shall also be entitled to vote for a charter board consisting of eleven members if it is to be a Class I or Class II city, and of seven members if it is to be a Class III city. Members shall be elected at large and shall receive no compensation for their services, but shall be reimbursed by the city for all reasonable and necessary expenses actually incurred in the discharge of their duties. Any individual who has been a resident of the territory sought to be incorporated for at least two years prior to the date of said election and who shall have been qualified to vote in state-county elections for at least two years prior to the date of said election shall be eligible for membership on said charter board. Nominations for said charter board shall be made by petition to the county court bearing the signatures, written in their own handwriting, of not less than two hundred qualified voters of the territory. All nominating petitions shall be filed with the county court at least twenty days prior to the date of the election on the question of incorporation. In the event of a vacancy in the nominations which shall reduce the number of candidates below the number of members to be elected, the vacancy shall be filled by the county court. The ballots, or ballot labels where voting machines are used, shall be prepared by or at the direction of the clerk of the county court. The ballots or ballot labels for members of the charter board shall be separate from the ballots or ballot labels on the question of incorporation. Such ballots or ballot labels for members of the charter board shall be special ballots or ballot labels without party designation. The position of the names of the candidates upon the ballots or voting machines shall be interchanged, as provided in the general election laws of this state. The ballots or voting machine directions shall bear instructions specifying the number of candidates to be voted for, and each qualified voter entitled to vote on the question of framing a charter may cast as many votes for members of the charter board as there are members to be elected. He may cumulate all of his votes for one candidate, or distribute them among several candidates as he sees fit. The ballots or voting machine directions shall bear advice to this effect. Any voter who shall vote against incorporation may, nevertheless, vote for members of the charter board, and the ballots or voting machine directions shall bear advice to this effect.

If on the returns being canvassed on the question of incorporation, such canvassing to be done by the county court, a majority of the legal votes cast be against incorporation, the proceeding shall be dismissed as specified in section seven, article two of this chapter, and no subsequent proceeding for incorporation of the same territory or any portion thereof shall be considered or election thereon had within a period of three years thereafter.