1. (1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, all vacancies in any county office of any of the several counties of the state, except that of the county commissioners (who shall be appointed by the governor), shall be filled by appointment by the county commissioners of the county in which the vacancy occurs in accordance with the procedure prescribed below until the next general election, when such vacancy shall be filled by election.

   The vacancy shall be filled as follows: the county central committee of the same political party, if any, of the former officer, whose office is vacant, shall submit a list of three (3) nominations to the board of county commissioners within fifteen (15) days from the day the office is vacated. The board of county commissioners shall fill the vacancy by appointment from the submitted list within fifteen (15) days. Should no appointment be made within fifteen (15) days, the county central committee of the political party submitting the nominations shall designate one (1) of the three (3) nominees to fill the vacancy. The person selected shall be a person who possesses the same qualifications at the time of his appointment as those provided by law for election to the office. Upon failure of the committee to make a selection before the expiration of the additional fifteen (15) day period, the board of county commissioners shall, within five (5) days, fill the vacancy by appointing a person having the same qualifications at the time of his appointment as those provided by law for election to the office. If the person who has vacated the office has not been affiliated with a political party, the vacancy shall be filled by the board of county commissioners by appointment of a person having the same qualifications at the time of his appointment as those provided by law for election to the office.

2. (2) When a county elected officer, except a county commissioner, gives a written notice of intent to resign to the board of commissioners of the county of which he is an elected officer, and when the notice of intent to resign specifies the effective date of the resignation, the county central committee of the same political party of the officer whose office is being vacated, may submit a list of three (3) nominations to the board of county commissioners prior to the effective date of the resignation. The board of county commissioners shall fill the vacancy by appointment from the submitted list to be effective on the day following the date the office is vacated by the former officer. The person selected shall be a person who possesses the same qualifications at the time of his appointment as those provided by law for election to the office. In the event the county elected officer rescinds his notice of intent to resign by notifying the board of county commissioners in writing prior to the effective date of his resignation, all actions taken by either the county central committee or the board of county commissioners to fill the anticipated vacancy, shall be null and void. If no appointment is made prior to the day the office is vacated, the provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall apply.

[(59-906) 1899, p. 67, sec. 9; reen. R.C. & C.L., sec. 322; C.S., sec. 458; I.C.A., sec. 57-906; am. 1975, ch. 21, sec. 6, p. 30; am. 1982, ch. 4, sec. 2, p. 7; am. 1984, ch. 192, sec. 1, p. 441; am. 1991, ch. 81, sec. 1, p. 182.]