(a) The State Personnel Board shall consist of five persons, as follows:

(1) Two persons appointed by the Governor, one of them whose term shall expire on February 1, 1985, and one of them whose term shall expire on February 1, 1986, one person appointed by the Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, whose term shall expire February 1, 1987, one person appointed by the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Alabama, whose term shall expire February 1, 1988, and one person who shall be a classified employee elected as hereinafter provided, whose term shall expire February 1, 1989.

(2) The terms of the present members of the State Personnel Board shall end on the last day of August, 1983. The new members of the personnel board shall begin their terms on September 1, 1983. If any vacancy occurs on the board, or at the expiration of the original terms therein above established, such vacancies shall be filled by the original appointing authority, for said position. After the expiration of these original terms herein above outlined, all subsequent terms shall be for six years, except for appointments to fill unexpired terms, which shall expire on the same date their predecessor's term expired. Each member shall be required to take the constitutional oath of office before entering upon their duties. The board shall designate one of its members as chairman. Three members of the board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Each member shall be a person over 19 years of age, of recognized character and ability, shall have been a bona fide resident and qualified voter of this state for not less than five years and shall not, when appointed nor for three years then last passed before the date of his appointment, have held elected public or party office nor have been a candidate for such office. No two appointed members of said personnel board shall be appointed from any one congressional district of the state. A member of the board may be removed from office for the same causes and by the same procedures as provided by the Constitution and statutes of Alabama for impeachment of sheriffs. Each member of the board shall receive a per diem of $50.00 and expenses for attendance upon meeting of the board. No member shall receive total compensation in excess of $1,200.00 per annum, excluding expenses and excluding compensation received for attendance upon trial of charges preferred against employees as provided in this article.

(b) One member shall be elected by a majority vote of the full-time state employees. For his or her original term, they shall serve until February 1, 1989, and thereafter elected members shall serve six-year terms. Two months prior to the expiration of the seat for the member of the classified service, employees desiring to serve shall file with the state Comptroller notice of their intent to run for the position. The Comptroller shall cause to be prepared ballots for distribution to all state employees with their paychecks during the first pay period, one month prior to the election. Each state payroll clerk within one week shall collect the executed ballots and return them to the Comptroller who shall forthwith tabulate the ballots and announce the results. A printout of the tabulation along with the ballots shall within three days be delivered by the Comptroller to the Secretary of State, who shall preserve the ballots and the printout for three months. At the expiration of terms of office of the original member elected under this subsection, and every six years thereafter, his successor shall be elected in the same manner as provided by this subsection. If a vacancy occurs in the office of a member elected under the provisions of this subsection, the vacancy shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as the office was previously filled.