appointment.

A. The board of county commissioners shall, in June or July of each odd-numbered year, appoint five voters who shall constitute the board of registration for the county; provided that a county with fewer than five thousand residents as of the last federal decennial census may appoint three voters who shall constitute the board of registration for the county.

B. Members of the board of registration shall not during their service be county employees, elected officials or candidates for public office, and not more than two members of the board of registration shall be members of the same political party at the time of their appointment; provided that:

(1)     a member of the board of registration shall not have changed party registration in the two years next preceding the member’s appointment in such a manner that the member’s prior party registration would make the member ineligible to serve on the board of registration; and

(2)     a member of the board of registration shall not continue to serve on the board of registration if the member changes party registration after the date of appointment in such a manner to make the member ineligible to serve on the board of registration.

C. In the event that a position on the board of registration becomes vacant for any of the reasons described in Section 10-3-1 N.M. Stat. Ann., the board of county commissioners shall appoint a replacement who shall qualify pursuant to Subsection B of this section and serve until the expiration of the original term.