(a) The Talbot County Board consists of: (1) Seven voting members, one member elected from each of the seven election districts for the county board established in accordance with this subtitle; and (2) Two nonvoting student members from the public high schools in the county. (b) The elected members of the county board shall be elected: (1) At the general election; and (2) In accordance with Title 8, Subtitle 8 of the Election Law Article. (c) (1) A member elected from a district shall be a resident of the district. (2) A member elected or appointed from a district who no longer resides in the district may not continue as a member of the county board. (d) (1) The boundaries for the election districts for the county board shall be established promptly following each decennial census. (2) Whenever election district boundaries are to be redrawn, no later than December 1 of the year prior to the year in which redistricting is to take effect, the County Council shall appoint a commission on redistricting to include: (i) Four individuals nominated by each political party that polled at least 15 percent of the total vote cast at the immediately preceding general election; and (ii) One additional individual. (3) An individual who holds elective office is not eligible to be appointed to the commission on redistricting. (4) (i) By November 15 of the year preceding the year in which redistricting is to take effect, the redistricting commission shall prepare and make available a plan of election districts. (ii) The election districts shall be reasonably compact, contiguous, and substantially equal in population and, in accordance with legal principles established by law, shall ensure that one or more of the election districts encompasses residents in which a majority of the voting age population consists of racial minorities. (iii) No less than 15 calendar days and no more than 45 calendar days after the redistricting commission submits its plan, the County Council shall hold a public hearing on the plan. (iv) The redistricting plan submitted by the redistricting commission becomes law 90 days after it is submitted to the County Council unless the County Council enacts a different redistricting plan before that date. (e) (1) Each voting member serves for a term of 4 years beginning on December 1 after the member's election and until a successor is elected and qualifies. (2) A voting member may not serve for more than three consecutive terms. (f) The terms of the voting members are staggered as follows: (1) One member elected from each of districts 1, 3, 4, and 7 at the 2006 general election, and every 4 years thereafter; and (2) One member elected from each of districts 2, 5, and 6 at the 2008 general election, and every 4 years thereafter. (g) (1) The Governor shall appoint a new member to fill any vacancy on the county board until a successor is elected and qualifies at the next congressional election. (2) A resident of the district in which a vacancy exists may apply for appointment by the Governor to fill the vacancy. (h) The student members shall be appointed and serve on the county board in accordance with § 3-12A-06 of this subtitle.
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