115.104. Youth election participant--oath--nomination procedure--qualifications--election authorities and judges to direct, powers and duties--high schools may offer preparatory courses.
Youth election participant--oath--nominationprocedure--qualifications--election authorities and judges todirect, powers and duties--high schools may offer preparatorycourses.
115.104. 1. As used in this section, the term"participant" means a Missouri youth election participant.
2. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, anyperson more than fifteen years of age but less than eighteenyears of age who is in full-time attendance in a school of thisstate may aid and assist any election judge or election authorityauthorized or appointed pursuant to this chapter. Such personsshall be known as "Missouri Youth Election Participants" andshall, before entering upon the duties related to an electionconducted pursuant to this chapter, take and subscribe thefollowing oath, which shall be signed by the participant and anoriginal copy thereof delivered to the election authority:
I solemnly swear or affirm that I will impartially dischargethe duties of a Missouri youth election participant by followingto the best of my ability the instructions of any election judge,election authority, or teacher of my school. I also swear oraffirm that I will not disclose how any voter has voted unless Iam told to do so by an election judge, election authority, or acourt of law in a proper judicial proceeding. I also swear oraffirm that I will make no statement nor give any information ofany kind tending in any way to show the state of the count ofvotes prior to the close of the polls on election day, nor will Imake any statement during the conduct of my duties which tends toshow my preferences for any issue or candidate involved in theelection.
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Signature of Missouri Youth Election Participant
3. If, in the opinion of the chief administrative officerof any high school of this state, the appointment of students inthe tenth, eleventh or twelfth grade as Missouri youth electionparticipants would benefit those persons involved and theelection process, the officer may nominate such persons asparticipants. The chief administrative officer shall establishthe academic and behavioral standards for qualification, butpersons nominated shall, at a minimum:
(1) Have demonstrated age-appropriate academic ability anddemeanor;
(2) Be a person of good repute who can speak, read andwrite the English language; and
(3) Not be related within the second degree ofconsanguinity or affinity to any person whose name appears on theballot, except that no participant shall be disqualified ifrelated within such degree to an unopposed candidate.
4. The chief administrative officer of the school shalltransmit a written list of nominees to the election authority ofthe jurisdiction at least sixty days prior to the election. If,in the opinion of the election authority, the appointment ofparticipants nominated pursuant to this section would not bedisruptive to the election process, the election authority mayappoint any number of participants for each polling place orplace where votes are to be counted within its jurisdiction.Such appointment shall include a schedule of the time duringwhich the participant is expected to serve. No participant shallbe entitled to any compensation or remuneration for the timeserved as a participant or costs incurred in the performance ofhis* duties. Nothing in this section shall be construed tomandate the appointment of any participant if, in the solediscretion of the election authority, the presence of suchparticipants in any polling place or place where votes arecounted would be disruptive to the orderly election process.
5. Subject to the provisions of this section and under thedirect supervision of the election authority or election judges,each participant may assist in the administration of the pollingplace, assist in the counting of votes, assist in the executionof any administrative duty of any election authority or electionjudge, and perform any other election-day-related duty asinstructed.
6. Each election authority and election judge appointedpursuant to this chapter shall have the authority to direct anyMissouri youth election participant in his* duties and to compelcompliance with law. Each election authority may, in its solediscretion, substitute participants on or before election day.Each election authority or election judge shall have theauthority at any time to take any action necessary to remove anyparticipant from any polling place or place where votes are beingcounted. It shall be the duty of any law enforcement officer, ifrequested by the election authority or judges of election, toexclude any participant from the polling place or place wherevotes are being counted.
7. In order to best prepare students for duty as Missouriyouth election participants pursuant to this section, each highschool of this state may offer a course of instruction in thedemocratic electoral process which concentrates upon the electionlaw of this state. The high school may require successfulcompletion of such a course prior to qualification for nominationas a Missouri youth election participant.
(L. 1994 S.B. 632)*Word "their" appears in original rolls.