The board of directors must meet at its usual place of meeting on or before the next regularly scheduled board meeting following each election to canvass the returns, and they shall proceed in the same manner and with like effect, as near as may be, as the board of county commissioners in canvassing the returns of general elections, and when they shall have declared the result, the secretary shall enter a statement of the result on the records of the board of directors as required by section 43-213, Idaho Code. The board of directors must declare elected the person or persons having the highest number of votes for each office.