                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

FREDERICK COUNTY; RESOLUTION OF BOARD OF SUPERVISORS; REFERENDUM; ELECTION (§
15.2-1212)

A. Upon resolution passed by the board of supervisors of Frederick County and
filed with the circuit court asking for a referendum on the question of
Frederick County being governed by a board of supervisors, one or more elected
from each magisterial district and a chairman elected from the county at large,
the court shall by order entered of record, require the regular election
officials at the November 1974 regular election to open a poll and take the
sense of the qualified voters of the county on the question submitted as herein
provided. The clerk of the county shall cause a notice of such election to be
published in a newspaper published in or having a general circulation in the
county, once a week for three consecutive weeks, and shall post a copy of such
notice at the door of the courthouse of the county.

B. The regular election officers of the county at the time designated in the
order authorizing the vote shall open the polls at the various voting places in
the county and conduct the election in such manner as is provided by law for
other elections, insofar as the same is applicable. The election shall be by
ballot, and the ballots shall be prepared by the electoral board and distributed
to the various election precincts as in other elections. The ballots used shall
be printed to read as follows:
			&#8220;Do you approve the adoption of the county&#8217;s board of supervisors
being elected by magisterial districts and the chairman elected from the county
at large?
			[ ] Yes
			[ ] No&#8221;
			The squares to be printed in such ballots shall not be less than one-quarter
nor more than one-half inch in size.
			Any person voting at such election shall place a () or a cross (X) or (+)
mark or a line (-) in the square before the appropriate word indicating how he
desires to vote on the question submitted.
			The ballots shall be counted, returns made and canvassed as in other
elections, and the results certified by the commissioners of election to the
circuit court, and the circuit court, or the judge thereof in vacation, shall
enter of record the results of the election. If it appears by the report of the
commissioners of election that a majority of the qualified voters of the county
voting approve the adoption of the county&#8217;s board of supervisors being
elected from magisterial districts and the chairman being elected from the
county at large, the circuit court of the county, or the judge thereof in
vacation, shall enter of record such fact.

C. At the next succeeding election, following approval of the plan provided for
herein, at which the county&#8217;s board of supervisors are to be elected, the
form of organization of such county&#8217;s board of supervisors shall be in
accordance with the form provided for herein.

D. All county and district officers of such county, unless otherwise sooner
removed, shall continue to hold office until their successors are elected and
have qualified.

E. A referendum as described in this section to revert to the former method of
electing the chairman and supervisors may be conducted upon a resolution of the
board of supervisors as provided in this section. In lieu of such resolution by
the board of supervisors, a referendum as described in this section may be
conducted upon a petition filed with the circuit court of the county, or the
judge thereof in vacation, and signed by 10 percent of the qualified voters of
such county requesting such referendum, and the court or the judge shall proceed
as in the case of a resolution by the board of supervisors.

HISTORY: 1974, c. 398, § 15.1-527.1; 1979, c. 333; 1980, c. 393; 1997, c. 587;
2019, c. 632.