§ 175-A — Registration for voters

§ 175-a. Registration for voters. 1. The board of fire commissioners\nof any fire district may provide by resolution, that a proposition be\nsubmitted at any annual fire district election providing that additional\npersonal registration of voters not registered with the board of\nelections shall be permitted for all elections in such fire district.\nSuch additional personal registration may be terminated by a resolution\nof the board of fire commissioners and the passage of a proposition at\nany annual fire district election.\n 2. Registration for all fire district elections shall be conducted as\nfollows:\n (a) Only those persons registered with the board of elections on or\nbefore the twenty-third day before such election and those persons whose\nnames are placed on the fire district register pursuant to the\nprovisions of this section shall be entitled to vote in such district.\n (b) In fire districts in which there is additional personal\nregistration, the board of fire commissioners shall publish a resolution\nat least twenty-seven days prior to election day, which shall designate\nthe dates prior to registration day on which the inspectors of election\nshall meet to commence the preparation of the register; the place in\neach fire district where such meetings, registration, if any, and\nelection shall be held; the hours for such meetings, registration, if\nany, and election; but in no event shall the hours for registration be\nless than the hours from six o'clock in the evening until nine o'clock\nin the evening. Such resolution shall be adopted at least thirty days\nprior to election day.\n (c) In a fire district whose electors have approved additional\npersonal registration, such registration shall be held on the\nseventeenth day prior to the annual fire district election, except in\nthose fire districts which provide by resolution adopted at least\nthirty-seven days prior to the date of the first election for which it\nshall be effective, for an additional day of registration to be held on\nthe nineteenth day prior to the annual fire district election. Such\nresolution shall remain in effect for subsequent annual elections,\nunless amended, modified or repealed.\n 3. The register for the annual fire district election shall be\nprepared in each fire district by the inspectors of election thereof on\nthe days prior to registration day, if any, designated therefor, on the\nregistration day, if any, at the times and places designated by the\nresolution of the board of fire commissioners. In preparing such\nregister, the inspectors of election shall comply with the following\nprocedure:\n (a) They shall adopt, use or copy from, the registration list\ncertified and supplied by the county board of elections the names\nappearing thereon of all persons residing in the fire district and\nqualified to vote in such forthcoming annual fire district election and\nin those instances in which additional persons are entitled to register\npursuant to this section, such register shall be completed by adding\nthereto the names of the persons personally appearing before them and\nproviding to their satisfaction to then be or at the time of election\nqualified to vote.\n (b) The register for each fire district shall include as a minimum the\nspace for the name of the voter, his address within the fire district\nand a space for his or her signature to be signed by the voter on\nelection day. Such register shall also contain a space for the signature\nof the voter to be signed by such voter on registration day, if any. If\nthe register shall contain only space for the name, address and\nsignature of the voter, the fire district secretary shall furnish a\nprinted certificate to be signed by the voter who appears personally\nbefore the inspectors of election on registration day if his name does\nnot already appear on the register. Such certificate shall contain a\nstatement that the person possesses all the necessary qualifications for\nvoting in fire district elections. Such certificate shall be accepted\nfor all purposes as the equivalent of an affidavit, and if it contains a\nmaterial false statement, shall subject the person signing it to the\nsame penalty as if he had been duly sworn, and such provision shall be\nprinted in bold type directly above the signature line of the\ncertificate.\n 4. The fire district secretary shall furnish the inspectors of\nelection, at fire district expense, with all necessary registration\nbooks, papers, equipment and supplies.\n 5. Registration for special fire district elections shall be held in\nthe same manner as is provided herein for annual fire district\nelections, and registration days therefor shall be the same as if said\nspecial fire district election were the annual fire district election.\n 6. In lieu of the provisions for designating the chairman, election\ninspectors and ballot clerks, as set forth in subdivision one of section\none hundred seventy-five of this chapter, the board of fire\ncommissioners shall, by resolution adopted at least forty days prior to\nthe annual fire district election, designate a resident fire district\nelector to act as chairman of any election of said district and shall\ndesignate not less than two nor more than four resident fire district\nelectors to act as election inspectors and ballot clerks in such\nelection. Such resolution shall fix the compensation of the chairman and\ninspectors and, in addition, the board of fire commissioners may provide\nfor alternate inspectors who shall assume the office of inspector upon\nthe inability or refusal of an inspector to assume or perform his duties\nand for any clerical help which they may deem necessary. Such clerical\nhelp shall perform their duties under the direction and control of the\nchairman and inspectors of election.\n