Section 11-42-133 Creation, Etc., of Wards; Election of Aldermen; Division of Wards into Voting Precincts; Rearrangement, Etc., of Boundaries of Wards or Voting Precincts.

(a) The council or governing body of the annexing city or town shall create new wards (as many as may be deemed to be necessary) regardless of any limitation in the charter of the annexing city or town on the number of wards, or enlarge wards so as to embrace all territory embraced in the annexed city or town and so as to afford opportunity to all persons in the territory embraced in the annexed city or town to vote in all elections and participate in the government of the annexing city or town, and each ward in the annexing city or town shall have the same number of aldermen, but in no event shall there be more than 30 aldermen or representatives in the council or governing body of the city or town. (b) The council or governing body of the city or town shall elect aldermen for the wards, embracing all the territory of the annexed city or town, as in case of a vacancy, the aldermen so elected to hold office until the next regular election of the annexing city or town. At such elections and thereafter aldermen for such wards shall be elected as other aldermen are elected in the city or town, and if the agreement of annexation names the aldermen to be elected to fill the office of aldermen until the next ensuing election, the parties named shall be elected aldermen by the council or governing body of the annexing city or town. (c) The council or governing body of the annexing city or town shall, by ordinance or resolution, create new wards or change the lines of wards, as often as may be necessary, covering the territory embraced in the annexed city or town for the purpose of making equal as near as practicable the voting population in each ward in the annexing city or town, and the council or governing body of the annexing city or town shall divide the respective wards in the city or town into voting precincts, as many as may be necessary, and each elector shall vote in the precinct of his residence, and the boundary of such voting precincts shall be arranged and rearranged from time to time so that, as near as practicable, not more than 300 electors reside in any voting precinct, except where voting machines are used.