(1)(a) The supervisor of elections of each county, at least 20 days prior to the holding of any election, shall appoint an election board comprised of poll workers who serve as clerks or inspectors for each precinct in the county. The clerk shall be in charge of, and responsible for, seeing that the election board carries out its duties and responsibilities. Each inspector and each clerk shall take and subscribe to an oath or affirmation, which shall be written or printed, to the effect that he or she will perform the duties of inspector or clerk of election, respectively, according to law and will endeavor to prevent all fraud, deceit, or abuse in conducting the election. The oath may be taken before an officer authorized to administer oaths or before any of the persons who are to act as inspectors, one of them to swear the others, and one of the others sworn thus, in turn, to administer the oath to the one who has not been sworn. The oaths shall be returned with the poll list and the returns of the election to the supervisor. In all questions that may arise before the members of an election board, the decision of a majority of them shall decide the question. The supervisor of elections of each county shall be responsible for the attendance and diligent performance of his or her duties by each clerk and inspector.

(b) If two or more precincts share the same building and voting place, the supervisor of elections may appoint one election board for the collocated precincts. The supervisor shall provide that a sufficient number of poll workers are appointed to adequately handle the processing of the voters in the collocated precincts.

(2) Each member of the election board shall be able to read and write the English language and shall be a registered qualified elector of the county in which the member is appointed or a person who has preregistered to vote, pursuant to s. 97.041(1)(b), in the county in which the member is appointed. No election board shall be composed solely of members of one political party; however, in any primary in which only one party has candidates appearing on the ballot, all clerks and inspectors may be of that party. Any person whose name appears as an opposed candidate for any office shall not be eligible to serve on an election board.

(3) The supervisor shall furnish inspectors of election for each precinct with the list of registered voters for that precinct. The supervisor shall also furnish to the inspectors of election at the polling place at each precinct in the supervisor’s county a sufficient number of forms and blanks for use on election day.

(4) The election board of each precinct shall attend the polling place by 6 a.m. of the day of the election and shall arrange the furniture, stationery, and voting equipment. The election board shall conduct the voting, beginning and closing at the time set forth in s. 100.011.

History.—s. 20, ch. 3879, 1889; RS 174; s. 24, ch. 4328, 1895; s. 8, ch. 4537, 1897; GS 205; RGS 249; s. 1, ch. 8587, 1921; CGL 305; s. 2, ch. 17898, 1937; s. 2, ch. 25384, 1949; s. 6, ch. 26870, 1951; s. 38, ch. 28156, 1953; s. 25, ch. 29934, 1955; s. 10, ch. 57-166; s. 1, ch. 63-53; s. 1, ch. 65-416; s. 1, ch. 67-168; s. 1, ch. 67-385; s. 1, ch. 73-151; s. 25, ch. 77-175; s. 43, ch. 79-400; s. 1, ch. 80-264; s. 50, ch. 81-259; s. 19, ch. 84-302; s. 1, ch. 89-46; s. 596, ch. 95-147; s. 22, ch. 98-129; s. 3, ch. 2000-249; ss. 27, 65, ch. 2001-40; s. 52, ch. 2005-277; s. 43, ch. 2005-278; s. 11, ch. 2010-167; s. 4, ch. 2011-4.

Note.—Former s. 99.03.