16-580. Manner of voting; assistance for
certain electors
A. Except as prescribed by subsection G of this section, only one person per voting
booth shall be permitted at any one time to sign for the receipt of a ballot and to wait
for an opportunity to vote.
B. On receiving a ballot the voter shall promptly and without leaving the voting
area retire alone, except as provided in subsection G of this section, to one of the
voting booths that is not occupied, prepare the ballot in secret and vote in the manner
and substantial form as required by the instruction to voters.
C. In order that the rights of other voters shall not be interfered with, a voter
shall not be allowed to occupy a voting booth for more than five minutes when other
voters are waiting to occupy the booth. If the voter refuses to leave after the lapse of
five minutes the voter may be removed by the judges. If a voter has not completed a
ballot after the allotted five minutes, the voter may request the marshal to hold the
ballot and when another booth is empty and all voters present have had an opportunity to
vote the removed person may be allowed an additional five minutes in the booth.
D. Before leaving the voting booth the voter shall fold the ballot lengthwise and
crosswise, or place the voter's card in the ballot envelope, but in such a way that the
contents of the ballot shall be concealed and the stub, if any, can be removed without
exposing the contents of the ballot and shall keep the ballot folded until the voter has
delivered it to the inspector, or judge acting as such.
E. The election board official shall receive the ballot from the voter and in the
presence of the election board and if the ballot includes a stub, remove the stub without
opening the ballot, deposit the ballot in the ballot box, or if the voter so requests,
hand the ballot to the voter and permit the voter to deposit the ballot in the ballot
box, and string the stub, if any, upon a string provided. If the ballot is of the type
that includes a stub and the stub has been removed from the ballot prior to receipt by
the election official, it shall not be deposited in the ballot box, but it shall be
marked "spoiled" and placed with the spoiled ballots.
F. After delivery of the ballot to the election board official, or if the voter has
asked to deposit the ballot in the ballot box, after the ballot is deposited, the voter
shall then proceed outside the voting area and shall not again enter the voting area
unless the voter is an authorized election official.
G. Any registered voter may, at the voter's option, be accompanied by a minor who
is permitted in the voting booth pursuant to section 16-515, subsection E, be accompanied
and assisted by a person of the voter's own choice or be assisted by two election
officials, one from each major political party, during any process relating to voting or
during the actual process of voting on a paper ballot, machine or electronic voting
system. A person who is a candidate for an office in that election other than the office
of precinct committeeman is not eligible to assist any voter.
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