16-407. Election officers; qualifications;
certificates; certification programs; plan; exemption; election
training fund
A. Except as provided in subsection E, no person may perform the duties or exercise
the authority of an election officer or of the clerk of the board of supervisors or the
county recorder in performance of election duties in or on behalf of any county unless
the person is the holder of an election officer's certificate issued by the secretary of
state before January 1 of each general election year.
B. The secretary of state shall provide for the examination of applicants for
election officer certificates. The secretary of state may not issue a certificate to a
person who has not demonstrated to the satisfaction of the secretary of state that the
person is competent to perform the work of an election officer or of the clerk of the
board of supervisors or the county recorder in the performance of election duties.
C. The secretary of state shall provide for election officer certification programs
of which successful completion by a person attests to the attendance at, participation in
and completion of a course of instruction in the technical, legal and administrative
aspects of conducting elections within this state.
D. On or before December 31 of each year of a general election, the secretary of
state shall submit an election officer education, training and certification plan to the
election officer education, training and certification advisory committee and to the
president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives. The plan shall
outline the achievements and problems of the previous two year period and specify the
expected education, training and certification activities of the coming two year period.
E. Subsection A does not apply to elected officials, clerical and secretarial
personnel, counting center personnel, precinct election board and tally board members and
election officials in cities or towns.
F. For city and town employees who work on elections, if the city or town chooses
to enroll the city or town employees in the certification program prescribed by this
section, the city or town shall reimburse the secretary of state for the costs of
conducting the training. An election training fund is established consisting of monies
received pursuant to this subsection. The secretary of state shall administer the fund.
Monies in the fund are continuously appropriated and the secretary of state shall use
monies in the fund to pay the costs of training officials from cities and towns pursuant
to this subsection.
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