(a)Within twenty (20) days after the office of any county
commissioner becomes vacant the remaining members of the board
shall declare a vacancy to exist and immediately give notice of
the vacancy in writing to the chairman of the county central
committee of the political party which the member whose office
is vacant represented at the time of his election under W.S.
22-6-120(a)(vii), or at the time of his appointment if not
elected to office. The chairman of the county central committee
shall within twenty (20) days after receipt of the notice call a
meeting of the county central committee. At the meeting the
committee shall select three (3) persons qualified to fill the
vacancy and transmit the names to the board of county
commissioners. The board of county commissioners shall fill the
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(a) Within twenty (20) days after the office of any county
commissioner becomes vacant the remaining members of the board
shall declare a vacancy to exist and immediately give notice of
the vacancy in writing to the chairman of the county central
committee of the political party which the member whose office
is vacant represented at the time of his election under W.S.
22-6-120(a)(vii), or at the time of his appointment if not
elected to office. The chairman of the county central committee
shall within twenty (20) days after receipt of the notice call a
meeting of the county central committee. At the meeting the
committee shall select three (3) persons qualified to fill the
vacancy and transmit the names to the board of county
commissioners. The board of county commissioners shall fill the
vacancy within twenty (20) days after receiving the list from
the county central committee by appointing one (1) of the
persons whose names are submitted by the county central
committee:
(i) If the county central committee fails to select
and transmit the list of three (3) names to the board of county
commissioners within twenty (20) days, the board shall fill the
vacancy by the appointment of any qualified person belonging to
the same political party the incumbent commissioner represented
at the time of his election or appointment if not elected to
office;
(ii) If the incumbent commissioner did not represent
any political party at the time of his election or appointment,
the board of county commissioners shall publish in a newspaper
of general circulation in the county notice that within twenty
(20) days after publication any qualified person may make
application directly to the county commissioners for appointment
to fill the vacancy. Within twenty (20) days after the
application deadline the county commissioners shall fill the
vacancy by appointment of one (1) person qualified from those
submitting applications.
(b) If the remaining members of the board of county
commissioners fail to fill any vacancy in a board of county
commissioners within the time specified in this section, any
qualified elector of the county may file a petition with the
clerk of the district court of the county in which the vacancy
occurred requesting the judge of the district court to fill the
vacancy:
(i) Within twenty (20) days after the petition is
filed the judge shall fill the vacancy by appointing a qualified
elector of the county belonging to the same political party the
incumbent commissioner represented at the time of his election
or appointment. If the incumbent commissioner did not represent
any political party at the time of his election or appointment
the judge may appoint any qualified person to fill the vacancy.
(c) Every person appointed county commissioner shall serve
until a successor is elected at the next general election and
takes office on the first Monday of the following January.
(d) For purposes of this section a person shall be
considered to "represent" a political party if he was a nominee
of that political party when elected to office or when appointed
to fill a vacancy in office.