Title 58, Townships

The electors of each township annually shall assemble and hold a township meeting in the month of March at the place in the township or in an adjacent township designated by the board of township supervisors. Notice of the time and place of holding the meeting must be given by th…

A special township meeting may be held for the purpose of: 1. Electing township officers to fill vacancies that occur; 2. Authorizing expansion of the board of township supervisors from three to five members; 3. Removing an elected township officer; 4. Transacting other lawful to…

At the annual township meeting or a special meeting, the electors of the township may approve expansion of the board of township supervisors from three to five members. At the first annual meeting after a special meeting at which the expansion is authorized, or at the annual meet…

An elected township officer may be removed from office upon an affirmative vote of the majority of votes cast at a special meeting of the township which is called for the purpose of removing an elected township officer. If an officer is removed from office at the special meeting,…

Each township clerk with whom a statement provided for in section 58-04-02 is filed shall record the same and shall cause notice of the special meeting to be published at least ten days before the meeting in a legal newspaper published in the township or, if there is no such news…

Each notice given for a special meeting must specify the purpose for which it is to be held. No business other than that specified in the notice may be transacted at such meeting. If vacancies in office are to be filled at the meeting, the notice must specify in what offices the …

The qualified electors present on the day of the annual or special meeting must be called to order by the township clerk, or, if the township clerk is not present, the qualified electors may elect by acclamation one of their number to act as chairman for the purpose of calling th…

At the opening of each meeting, the moderator shall state the business to be transacted and the order in which it must be entertained. A proposition to vote a tax may not be acted on out of the order of business as stated by the moderator. A proposition to reconsider a vote may n…

Before the electors proceed to elect any township officer, the moderator shall proclaim the opening of the polls, and proclamation in like manner must be made of any adjournment and of the opening and closing of the polls until the election is ended.

A person may not vote at any township meeting unless that person is qualified to vote at general elections therein.

The supervisors, treasurer, and clerk in each township must be elected by ballot. All other officers, if not otherwise provided by law, must be chosen either by yeas and nays or by a division as the electors determine.

When the electors vote by ballot, all the candidates voted for must be named on one ballot, which must contain, written or printed or partly written and partly printed, the names of the persons voted for and the offices to which such persons are intended to be chosen.

When the election is by ballot, the marked ballot must be delivered to one of the judges so folded as to conceal its contents, and the judges shall deposit the ballots in a box provided for that purpose.

When the election is by ballot, a poll list on which must be entered the name of each person whose vote is received shall be kept by the clerk of the meeting.

At the close of every election by ballot, the judges shall proceed publicly to canvass the votes, which canvass when commenced must continue without adjournment or interruption until the same is completed. The canvass must be conducted by taking one ballot at a time from the ball…

If two or more persons have an equal and the highest number of votes for an office, the judges of election, immediately and publicly, shall determine by a drawing of names who of such persons shall be declared elected. A candidate involved in a tie vote may withdraw the candidate…

When the canvass is completed, the clerk shall enter at length in the minutes of the meeting kept by the clerk, as required in section 58-04-05, a statement of the result of the election which must be read publicly by the clerk to the meeting, and such reading must be deemed noti…

The minutes of the proceedings of each township meeting, subscribed by the clerk and judges of the meeting, must be filed in the office of the township clerk within two days after the meeting.

The clerk of the township meeting, immediately after the votes are canvassed, shall transmit a notice of election to each person elected to any township office.

If a township meeting is not held for the purpose of organizing and electing its officers at the time fixed by law for holding the annual township meeting, a special township meeting for that purpose must be called by the township clerk. Such meeting must be held within the towns…

If notice of a township meeting is not given under section 58-04-19 within thirty days after the time set by law for the holding of the annual township meeting, the board of county commissioners of the county in which the township is located shall appoint the necessary township o…