175-a. Registration for voters. 1. The board of fire commissioners of any fire district may provide by resolution, that a proposition be submitted at any annual fire district election providing that additional personal registration of voters not registered with the board of elections shall be permitted for all elections in such fire district. Such additional personal registration may be terminated by a resolution of the board of fire commissioners and the passage of a proposition at any annual fire district election.
2. Registration for all fire district elections shall be conducted as follows:
(a) Only those persons registered with the board of elections on or before the twenty-third day before such election and those persons whose names are placed on the fire district register pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be entitled to vote in such district.
(b) In fire districts in which there is additional personal registration, the board of fire commissioners shall publish a resolution at least twenty-seven days prior to election day, which shall designate the dates prior to registration day on which the inspectors of election shall meet to commence the preparation of the register; the place in each fire district where such meetings, registration, if any, and election shall be held; the hours for such meetings, registration, if any, and election; but in no event shall the hours for registration be less than the hours from six o'clock in the evening until nine o'clock in the evening. Such resolution shall be adopted at least thirty days prior to election day.
(c) In a fire district whose electors have approved additional personal registration, such registration shall be held on the seventeenth day prior to the annual fire district election, except in those fire districts which provide by resolution adopted at least thirty-seven days prior to the date of the first election for which it shall be effective, for an additional day of registration to be held on the nineteenth day prior to the annual fire district election. Such resolution shall remain in effect for subsequent annual elections, unless amended, modified or repealed.
3. The register for the annual fire district election shall be prepared in each fire district by the inspectors of election thereof on the days prior to registration day, if any, designated therefor, on the registration day, if any, at the times and places designated by the resolution of the board of fire commissioners. In preparing such register, the inspectors of election shall comply with the following procedure:
(a) They shall adopt, use or copy from, the registration list certified and supplied by the county board of elections the names appearing thereon of all persons residing in the fire district and qualified to vote in such forthcoming annual fire district election and in those instances in which additional persons are entitled to register pursuant to this section, such register shall be completed by adding thereto the names of the persons personally appearing before them and providing to their satisfaction to then be or at the time of election qualified to vote.
(b) The register for each fire district shall include as a minimum the space for the name of the voter, his address within the fire district and a space for his or her signature to be signed by the voter on election day. Such register shall also contain a space for the signature of the voter to be signed by such voter on registration day, if any. If the register shall contain only space for the name, address and signature of the voter, the fire district secretary shall furnish a printed certificate to be signed by the voter who appears personally before the inspectors of election on registration day if his name does not already appear on the register. Such certificate shall contain a statement that the person possesses all the necessary qualifications for voting in fire district elections. Such certificate shall be accepted for all purposes as the equivalent of an affidavit, and if it contains a material false statement, shall subject the person signing it to the same penalty as if he had been duly sworn, and such provision shall be printed in bold type directly above the signature line of the certificate.
4. The fire district secretary shall furnish the inspectors of election, at fire district expense, with all necessary registration books, papers, equipment and supplies.
5. Registration for special fire district elections shall be held in the same manner as is provided herein for annual fire district elections, and registration days therefor shall be the same as if said special fire district election were the annual fire district election.
6. In lieu of the provisions for designating the chairman, election inspectors and ballot clerks, as set forth in subdivision one of section one hundred seventy-five of this chapter, the board of fire commissioners shall, by resolution adopted at least forty days prior to the annual fire district election, designate a resident fire district elector to act as chairman of any election of said district and shall designate not less than two nor more than four resident fire district electors to act as election inspectors and ballot clerks in such election. Such resolution shall fix the compensation of the chairman and inspectors and, in addition, the board of fire commissioners may provide for alternate inspectors who shall assume the office of inspector upon the inability or refusal of an inspector to assume or perform his duties and for any clerical help which they may deem necessary. Such clerical help shall perform their duties under the direction and control of the chairman and inspectors of election.
Last modified: February 3, 2019