Board of elections

A board of elections is a body of officials designated to administer elections. U.S. states often have boards of elections, as do some municipalities, such as New York City.

The board is typically not under the direct control of the executive branch and therefore is buffered somewhat from political pressure.

An example of a board of elections in the process of selecting election commissioners appears in the image to the right—the Tangipahoa Parish Board of Election Supervisors.[1] Such a board is established by the Louisiana Revised Statutes § 18:484. The statute specifies that such a board in every one of Louisiana's 64 parishes (counties) shall be constituted of a representative of each recognized political party plus the registrar of voters, the Governor's appointee, and the clerk of court. The statute articulates explicit charges to the board, including stipulating the manner of selecting the commissioners:

A ball made of plastic or a similar material with a number corresponding to each of the numbers on the compiled list of proposed commissioners for a precinct shall be placed in a receptacle and thoroughly mixed. The members of the parish board of election supervisors may participate in the mixing.[2]

Notes

  1. ^ Tangipahoa Parish Board of Election Supervisors site (accessed 2011-04-02).
  2. ^ Louisiana Revised Statutes, § 18:484. This section is also annually published separately by the Louisiana Secretary of State as the Louisiana Election Code.