For the purpose of nominations, regional school unit board directors are considered municipal officials and must be nominated in accordance with Title 30‑A, chapter 121 or with a municipal charter, whichever is applicable.

1. 1. Initial meeting on regional school unit formation On the election of the regional school unit board of directors, the clerk of each municipality within the regional school unit shall forward the names and addresses of the directors elected for that municipality to the state board with other data with regard to their election as the state board may require. On receipt of the names and addresses of all of the directors, the state board shall set a time, place and date for the first meeting of the directors and give notice to the directors in writing, sent by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, to the addresses provided by the municipalities.

   [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §13 (NEW).]

2. 2. Special provisions In the election for representation under the methods provided under section 1472, the provisions of this subsection apply.

   1. A. In an election under Method A pursuant to section 1472, subsection 1:

      1. (1) Within 60 days, but no earlier than 45 days after notification by the regional school unit board of the approval of the reapportionment plan under section 1475, the municipal officers shall call a special election to elect directors to serve under the plan for the regional school unit;
      2. (2) Nomination papers must be furnished by the secretary of the regional school unit at least 10 days before the deadline for filing nomination papers. Notwithstanding any other section of this Title, directors must be nominated by obtaining a minimum of 25 and a maximum of 50 signatures of registered voters residing within a subdistrict. The secretary shall notify the municipal officers of the names of candidates in each subdistrict;
      3. (3) The ballots must be prepared in accordance with subparagraph (7);
      4. (4) The clerks of each municipality shall forward to the secretary of the regional school unit the results of the vote by subdistrict;
      5. (5) The regional school unit board shall meet and total the votes cast for each candidate within each subdistrict and shall immediately notify the clerks in each municipality, the candidates and the commissioner of the results of the vote;
      6. (6) The terms of the directors elected under the original municipal representation system cease on the date that the newly elected directors are sworn into office; and

      7. (7) Notwithstanding any other provision of statute, directors must be elected by secret ballot. The ballots must be prepared for and distributed to the municipalities or subdistricts by the secretary of the regional school unit.

         [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §13 (NEW).]

   2. B. In an election under Method B pursuant to section 1472, subsection 2, a reduction in the number of directors, the addition of directors and the terms of office of additional directors must be in accordance with this chapter.

      [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §13 (NEW).]

   3. C. In an election under Method C pursuant to section 1472, subsection 3:

      1. (1) Nominations for directors must be made on petitions provided by the regional school unit secretary. The petitions must be signed as provided in Title 30‑A, section 2528, subsection 4 or, if the candidate is a voting resident in a municipality having a population of less than 200, signed by at least 20% of the registered voters of that municipality;
      2. (2) The petitions must be submitted to the registrar of voters in the respective municipalities for certification of the voting residence of the nominee and of the voters signing the petition;
      3. (3) The registrar of voters must return the certified petitions to the regional school unit secretary not later than 30 days prior to the date of the annual election to be held in the municipality;
      4. (4) The ballots must be prepared and distributed by the regional school unit secretary. It must give the number of offices to be filled and list the candidates by the municipality or subdistrict in which they are resident;
      5. (5) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, regional school unit board directors must be elected by secret ballot;

      6. (6) If member municipalities do not all conduct the election for directors on the same date, then all ballots cast in the elections must be impounded by the clerk of each municipality: (a) After all municipalities have voted, the clerks and one or more election supervisors designated by the municipal officers of each municipality shall meet at an agreed-upon location and tally the ballots; (b) The tally must be completed within one day of the last member municipality election; (c) The election supervisors shall select from among their members a chair, who shall supervise the tally of ballots; and (d) The clerk of each municipality shall as promptly as possible after the election certify to the regional school unit board the result of the voting in that municipality; and

         (a) After all municipalities have voted, the clerks and one or more election supervisors designated by the municipal officers of each municipality shall meet at an agreed-upon location and tally the ballots;

         (b) The tally must be completed within one day of the last member municipality election;

         (c) The election supervisors shall select from among their members a chair, who shall supervise the tally of ballots; and

         (d) The clerk of each municipality shall as promptly as possible after the election certify to the regional school unit board the result of the voting in that municipality; and

      7. (7) Any recount petitions must be filed with the secretary of the regional school unit, and recounts must be conducted in each member municipality in accordance with the applicable laws.

         [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §13 (NEW).]

   [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §13 (NEW).]

PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §13 (NEW).