No member of the commission appointed by the Governor shall be a candidate for or hold any public office other than that of membership on the commission; nor shall such appointed member be a member of any committee of a political party. Any person who, directly or indirectly, (1) designs, owns, manufactures, distributes or sells any voting machine, or (2) owns any patent rights or contract rights thereto, or (3) has any interest in any joint venture, partnership, firm, corporation or association designing, owning, manufacturing, distributing or selling any voting machine, or owning any patent rights or contract rights thereto, shall be disqualified from serving as a member of the commission. At least one member appointed by the Governor shall be selected with special reference to his expert knowledge as a student of the problems of public elections. Not more than two members appointed by the Governor shall be members of the same political party. In case a member appointed by the Governor becomes a candidate for or is appointed to any other public office or political committee, his office as member of the commission shall be deemed immediately vacated.

Terms Used In West Virginia Code 3-1A-2

  • Candidate: shall mean any person to be voted for at an election. See West Virginia Code 3-1-2
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Office: shall be construed to mean "public office" which shall include (1) any elective office provided for by the Constitution or laws of the United States or of this state to which a salary or other compensation attaches, and (2) membership in a Constitutional convention. See West Virginia Code 3-1-2
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.